The IOC banned the participation of athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus in the parade of athletes
March 19, 2024
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the parade of athletes at the Paris Summer Olympics. Neutral athletes will not participate in the delegation parade during the opening ceremony because they are individual athletes, the IOC said in a statement on Tuesday, March 19.
However, athletes not authorized to participate in the parade will have the opportunity to attend this event, the organization added. A similar scenario was used in relation to the “independent participants” of the Yugoslav Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, the committee said.
The IOC expects 36 Russians and 22 athletes with Belarusian passports to qualify for the Olympics in the French capital. The decision on their participation in the closing ceremony of the Games will be taken later, said the organization.
Admission of neutral athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus to the Games
According to the IOC decision adopted in December 2023, athletes from Russia and Belarus will be able to compete only in a neutral state, without the flags of their countries and other national attributes. Athletes who actively support the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, as well as those associated with the Russian or Belarusian army, law enforcement agencies and security agencies of these countries will not be able to participate in the Games.
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) classified the conditions imposed on Russians to participate in the Paris Games as “unfair”. However, the Russian side indicated that the ROC would not follow “the path of boycott”.
The XXXIII Summer Olympic Games in Paris will be held from July 26th to August 11th. The French capital hosted the 1900 and 1924 Summer Olympics.
Source: DW
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