Russia, Belarus won't be invited to 2024 Olympics – IOC statement

This is reported by the official website of the International Olympic Committee.  

Russia and Belarus will not receive an invitation from the IOC to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on July 26.

Invitations to the National Olympic Committees will be sent out on July 26, a year before the start of the Olympics. A total of 203 NOCs have been invited to participate in the Games. Russia and Belarus were not invited because of the sanctions imposed by the IOC on them because of the full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Guatemala, whose membership in the IOC has been temporarily suspended, may also miss the Games.

The IOC emphasized that the final decision on the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the Olympics will be made later. Currently, the president of the organization, Thomas Bach, is promoting an initiative to allow Russians and Belarusians to participate in the Games in Paris in a neutral status. In particular, on March 28, the IOC Executive Committee recommended that international federations allow Russian and Belarusian athletes who do not support the war against Ukraine to participate in the competition.

Controversy regarding the possible participation of Russians and Belarusians in the 2024 Paris Olympics

On January 27, IOC chief Thomas Bach said he supports the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the 2024 Olympics, despite Ukraine's threats to boycott.

On January 31, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko said that admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the Olympics is "betrayal of the Olympic spirit" and a "monumental mistake". “They have a gold medal in the deportation of children and rape of women,” he pointed out.

On February 1, the International Olympic Committee announced that it would maintain the sanctions against Russian and Belarusian athletes that were approved in December 2022.

Former coach of the Ukrainian national football team Andriy Shevchenko has appealed to the IOC and urged to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions until the war in Ukraine is over.

On February 3, Poland and the Baltic states issued a joint statement opposing the return of Russians and Belarusians to the Olympics. On February 7, they were joined by five Scandinavian countries.

On February 6, the Verkhovna Rada called on the IOC to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Games in Paris.

On February 10, a summit of 35 countries took place in the United Kingdom, calling for the banning of Russians from the 2024 Olympics, which was supported by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his speech at the meeting.

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.

On March 30, Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers decided that Ukrainian athletes would boycott tournaments featuring athletes from Russia or Belarus. 

On April 25, PACE President Tiny Kox called it unacceptable for Russians and Belarusians to participate in the 2024 Olympics because of Russia's war against Ukraine.

Later, Andriy Chesnokov, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine for European Integration, said that Ukrainian athletes would be allowed to compete individually at the 2024 Olympics if the Ukrainian national team boycotted the Games because of the possible admission of Russians and Belarusians.

On June 23, PACE adopted a resolution calling on the IOC to ban athletes from Belarus and Russia from the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024, even under a neutral flag.

On July 8, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) approved the participation of up to 500 Russian and Belarusian athletes at this year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. The move can pave the way for Russian and Belarusian qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics.