Switzerland: Representatives of international sports federations and national Olympic committees have asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals at the 2024 Games in Paris.
The request was made in an IOC communique published after the Olympic Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia and Belarus were sanctioned but not banned by the IOC. In March, it recommended that individual athletes compete as neutrals but it has not decided about Paris yet.
However, several Olympic sports have eased restrictions over the past year, allowing them to return to competition under certain conditions.
The federations are seeking a decision that will “bring clarity” to the qualifying events. The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) on October 12.
Last month, the Russian Olympic Committee filed an appeal against its suspension by the IOC at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
In September, officials voted to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at next year’s Paralympics under a neutral flag.
Last week, IOC President, Mr. Thomas Bach, indicated that a final decision about Russian and Belarusian involvement would be made at an IOC executive board meeting in March next year.
The IOC told the summit that individual athletes were only allowed to compete under strict conditions of neutrality, meaning their flags, national anthems or any other national symbol must not be used. The Paris Olympics take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
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