The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes be allowed to compete in international sporting events as neutrals, but only as individual athletes and not as part of a team representing their country. The IOC’s decision does not apply to the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris 2024 or the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina 2026, and the committee will make a separate decision on their participation at a later date. The decision has been met with criticism from politicians and athletes from over 30 countries, and Ukraine has threatened to boycott the Paris Olympics in protest.
Athletes competing as neutrals will not be allowed to display their national flags on social media or make statements that could be seen as prejudicial to the competition or their neutrality. According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), athletes from Russia and Belarus who have actively supported the war in Ukraine or are contracted to military or national security agencies will not be allowed to compete as neutral individuals. The IOC also stated that teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport cannot be considered.
The sanctions against those responsible for the war, the Russian and Belarusian states and governments, must remain in place. No flag, anthem, or any other identification of these countries can be displayed at a sporting event or meeting. Additionally, no Russian or Belarusian government or state official can be invited to or accredited for any international sports event. The recommendation has been criticized by politicians from several countries, including Poland, which called it a “day of shame.” The head of Russia’s Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, called the criteria “discrimination on the basis of nationality.”
