The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Friday that Russian and Belarusian athletes who have qualified for Paris 2024 will be eligible to compete as neutral athletes – provided they meet eligibility requirements. The decision applies only to individual athletes and does not include teams from those countries, the IOC announcement said. Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from most international competitions in February 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Belarus’ assistance in the attack. The IPC had banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing after multiple teams threatened not to take part at the Games if they were permitted. The Paris 2024 Olympics runs between July 26 and August 11, while the Paralympics takes place from August 28 through September 8.

Source: CNN May 04, 2024 16:25 UTC