Athletes from Russia and Belarus are allowed to participate in the Olympic Games in Paris
Individual athletes from Russia and Belarus who successfully qualify for next summer’s Paris Olympics will be allowed to compete in the Games, the International Olympic Committee announced on Friday, ending talks on a blanket ban on participants from the two countries because of the war in Ukraine.
The athletes may only participate as “individual neutral athletes” and among others strict conditions, Olympic officials said. Disqualifying actions include active support of the war in Ukraine or personal contracts with Russian or Belarusian military or national security services.
The new rules, announced by the Olympic Committee’s board of directors, apply only to athletes from Russia and Belarus, and were not unexpected. They mirror guidelines issued by the IOC in March, when Olympic officials — under pressure from international sports federations whose qualifying procedures for Paris had begun or were already underway — created a path for affected athletes to return to international competition.
The decision only applies to individual participants and support staff, meaning teams representing the two countries are not eligible.
The participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus, who are an ally and supporter of the Russian military efforts in Ukraine, has been a controversial topic in global sports since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Athletes from both countries were initially banned from most sports in Ukraine. the aftermath of the invasion.
Over the past year, however, Olympic officials have been laying the groundwork for their return to competition in time for the Paris Games, under the premise that individual athletes should not be held responsible for the actions of their governments.
In March, the IOC created a path through which these athletes could potentially qualify for Paris – even as their countries remained officially excluded – by issuing a series of recommendations to international sports federations allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in events as neutral athletes.
And last month in New York, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach used the approval of a biennial Olympic truce as a platform to argue for inclusion.
“In these difficult times,” said Mr. Bach, “this resolution is our opportunity to send an unequivocal signal to the world: Yes, we can come together, even in times of wars and crises. Yes, we can join hands and work together for a better future.”
The IOC’s attempts to relax the ban on competitors from Russia and Belarus are facing significant resistance. In February, a group of sports ministers and government officials from more than 30 countries, including representatives of some of the most prominent countries in the Olympic movement, urged the IOC to ban athletes from Russia and Belarus from international sports as long as their countries involved in the war in Ukraine.
In announcing Friday’s decision, Olympic officials took pains to point out that the effect of Friday’s decision has so far been limited in scope, with only 11 athletes — eight with Russian passports and three from Belarus — affected are among the 4,600 who have qualified for the Paris Games, officials said. (At least 60 Ukrainians, they noted, have qualified so far.) Russia sent a team of more than 300 athletes to the recent 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo, but without participation in team sports the delegation is expected to number in the dozens . in Paris.
Each of the 11 athletes involved will be subject to an “independent assessment” of their fitness, the IOC said. Even more athletes are expected to qualify in the coming months, setting the stage for possible head-to-head meetings with athletes from the Ukrainian team – and others critical of their presence – in various sports next summer.
Friday’s decision is sure to anger dozens of national Olympic committees, including those of the United States and other powers in the Olympic movement, which have previously objected to the participation of athletes from Russia and also Belarus, which has provided a platform before the invasion of Russia. of Ukraine. It could also fuel rumors of a boycott by Ukraine, whose officials have opposed the participation of Russian athletes even as neutrals and have previously threatened to stay away from the Paris Games if Russians are allowed to participate.