The Executive Committee of the IOC will meet on March 19, the agenda will also include the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris.

The International Olympic Committee will decide on the Russians and Belarusians

International Olympic Committee chief executive Christophe Duby said the issue would be discussed at the “next session” scheduled for March 19 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“This is not the case now; athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports participating in the Olympic Games were not excluded (from participation in the ceremony),” said the president of the IOC Coordination Commission Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vujean at a press conference.

The IOC told Reuters that Russia is on the agenda of every meeting of the Executive Committee and that no decision will be made on March 19.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced on Wednesday that Russian and Belarusian athletes competing in the Paralympic Games will not participate in the opening ceremony.

Russian and Belarusian athletes cannot participate in team competitions at the Olympic Games from July 26 to August 11, but they are allowed to participate as neutrals – without flags and anthems, according to News.ro.

The IOC imposed sanctions on Russia and Belarus after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation.” Since then, the forum opened the way for them to return to international competitions.