IOC / Paris 2024: Russians and Belarusians allowed to compete as "individual neutral athletes"

"Individual neutral athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport who have qualified through the existing qualification systems of the International Federations on the field of play will be declared eligible to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024," announced the executive board of the International Olympic Committee on 12/08/2023. These provisions do not apply to teams or athletes "who actively support the war."

Eleven neutral individual athletes (eight Russians and three Belarusians) have so far qualified for the Olympics, against more than 60 Ukrainian athletes, according to the IOC. A total of 4,600 athletes will compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The IOC has set out "strict eligibility conditions" for individual neutral athletes for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, which turn out to be the same as those that enabled them to qualify for the Olympics (see below). "The IOC will seek an independent evaluation of the eligibility of each qualified individual neutral athlete proposed by the International Federation, and their support personnel," added the world body.

After…