International Courant
Russian athletes may solely take part as Group ROC within the 2022 Winter Olympics – which came about previous to the invasion of Ukraine – resulting from a ban on Russia over doping violations
Olympic sports activities federations have requested the Worldwide Olympic Committee to permit Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part as impartial athletes within the Paris Video games subsequent summer time.
Russia and Belarus have been sanctioned however not banned by the IOC following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In March it suggested particular person athletes compete as impartial events however has not but selected Paris.
The federations desire a resolution to “convey readability” to the qualifying occasions.
They added that athletes had participated in these occasions as impartial athletes “largely with out incident” and that that they had the help of nationwide Olympic committees.
The Olympic Video games in Paris will happen from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
IOC President Thomas Bach indicated final week {that a} last resolution on Russian and Belarusian involvement would come at an IOC board assembly in March subsequent yr.
The request was made in an IOC communiqué revealed after the Olympic summit in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The IOC informed the summit that if particular person athletes have been allowed to compete, it will be beneath strict situations of neutrality, that means their flags, nationwide anthems or another nationwide image can’t be used.
It solely applies to particular person athletes, not groups, and there will probably be no adjustments to the qualifying programs or quota locations to accommodate such athletes.
The IOC’s board of administrators additionally beforehand informed worldwide federations and occasion organizers that athletes and help workers who actively help the struggle in Ukraine, or who’re contracted to the navy, is not going to be allowed to compete.
The Nationwide Organizing Committees of Russia and Belarus would additionally not play a task within the Video games.
The IOC was criticized this yr for saying it was “exploring a pathway” the place Russians and Belarusians may compete.
Nice Britain was certainly one of them greater than thirty nations have expressed help for a continued banBritish tradition secretary Lucy Frazer stated the IOC’s plans have been “not credible”.
The group stated this in July “has discovered a center floor” for athletes from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, including that “it can’t be as much as governments to determine which athletes can take part”.
Lord Coe, president of World Athletics, stated this in August it’s unlikely” Russian and Belarusian observe and area athletes will be capable of compete in Paris.
World Athletics has banned rivals from the 2 nations from its occasions, together with beneath a impartial flag, as a result of invasion of Ukraine.
In October the The Russian Olympic Committee was suspended by the IOC after it acknowledged regional organizations from 4 Ukrainian territories illegally annexed by Russia.
