IOC undecided on admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to Olympics

This is stated in the official recommendations adopted during a meeting of the IOC Executive Committee on March 28.

A meeting of the International Olympic Committee's Executive Board is taking place in Lausanne, Switzerland, and it will last for three days – from March 28 to 30. In particular, today, March 28, the issue of the status of athletes from Russia and Belarus and their admission to the Summer and Winter Olympics was considered.

The IOC upheld sanctions against the governments of Russia and Belarus and decided:

• not to hold international sports events in Russia and Belarus;

• no flags, anthems or other state symbols of the Russian Federation and Belarus may be displayed at any international sporting events;

• no government or public officials should be accredited or invited to any international sports events.

The IOC will also continue to support athletes from Ukraine to participate in the 2024 and 2026 Olympic Games. For this purpose, the IOC is allocating USD 7.5 million to the Solidarity Fund of the NOC of Ukraine.

The main issue that worried everyone was that the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the 2024 Olympics was not considered.

However, recommendations to international federations and organizers of international sporting events were adopted. Namely:

• Athletes with a Russian or a Belarusian passport must compete only as Individual Neutral Athletes.

• Teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport cannot be considered.

• Athletes who actively support the war cannot compete. Support personnel who actively support the war cannot be entered.

• Athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot compete. Support personnel who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot be entered.

• Any such Individual Neutral Athlete, like all the other participating athletes, must meet all anti-doping requirements applicable to them and particularly those set out in the anti-doping rules of the IFs.

The recommendations will be passed on to international sports federations. They will decide on their own whether to allow Russians and Belarusians to participate or not.

• On January 29, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had written a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron about the possible admission of Russians to the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

• The IOC responded to the criticism from the Ukrainian authorities and the sports community, calling it "slander."

• On February 9, Thomas Bach said that a boycott of the 2024 Games would be a violation of the Olympic Charter, and called the exclusion of Russians and Belarusians from the competition discrimination.

• On February 20, 34 countries supported the demand to suspend athletes from Russia and Belarus from the Olympics.

• On February 21, the IOC called the European Parliament's resolution demanding the suspension of Russians and Belarusians from international competitions contrary to the mission of the Olympic Games.