The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said earlier this month that athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus would be able to compete in Paris as neutrals, outside of team events and as long as they did not actively support the war on Ukraine. That move changed the position of their original blanket ban following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "There is no change," the British double Olympic gold medallist said. "The most important thing is that everybody is beginning to recognize that the autonomy and independence of international federations to make these judgements is really important. Coe added though that "the world changes every five minutes, the situation could change".

Source: The Guardian December 19, 2023 09:09 UTC