The International Olympic Committee has approved 14 athletes from Russia and 11 from Belarus to compete as neutrals in the upcoming Paris Olympics. These decisions come after a thorough assessment by an IOC panel, which looked into whether the athletes had expressed support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine or had ties to military or state security services. The athletes approved come from sports such as cycling, gymnastics, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling. The IOC has indicated that lists of athletes from other Olympic sports will likely be released in the days to come.
Among the athletes approved to compete as neutrals are defending Olympic champion in men’s trampoline, Ivan Litvinovich from Belarus, and Russian cyclist Aleksandr Vlasov, who has a successful track record in Grand Tours. However, it is still uncertain how many Russian athletes will ultimately be allowed to participate in the Olympics. The IOC has already excluded Russian athletes from participating in the opening ceremony parade of athletes, scheduled to take place on boats sailing along the River Seine. Notably, no athletes were approved in taekwondo, an event where the Russian team had secured two gold medals in the previous Olympics.
Russia and Belarus have been banned from team sports at the Paris Olympics due to the war in Ukraine. However, individual athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports have been granted permission to compete as neutrals in most other sports, subject to a two-stage vetting process. Ukrainian athletes and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have called for a blanket ban on all Russian athletes. Some sports bodies, such as track and field, have taken this step, while soccer organizations like FIFA and UEFA have excluded Russian teams from international competitions in response to the invasion.
Athletes approved to compete as neutrals in the Paris Olympics will be required to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) without displaying the Russian flag or wearing uniforms in the country’s colors of red, white, and blue. The Russian anthem will also be prohibited, with the IOC commissioning music to replace it. Additionally, any medals won by these athletes will not count toward any country’s medal table. The process for granting neutral status to the athletes involves vetting by sports governing bodies, followed by review by the IOC panel, with the opportunity for appeals through the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Overall, the decision by the IOC to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals in the Paris Olympics comes amid ongoing concerns about their ties to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The vetting process for neutral status aims to ensure that participating athletes are not connected to any activities that could be viewed as supporting the ongoing conflict. With more decisions expected in the days ahead, the international sporting community continues to navigate the complex challenges posed by geopolitical conflicts and their impact on the participation of athletes in major sporting events like the Olympics.
