A limited number of Russian athletes will compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics under an impartial designation amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee announced Friday.
“Only a very limited number of athletes will qualify under [International Federations’] existing classification systems,” the IOC said in a statement.
The resolution to allow a limited number of Russian athletes to compete at the 2024 Games comes after the IOC reported in March that Russian and Belarusian athletes would be allowed to return to the festival under impartial prestige, as long as they had no ties to the military.
Belarus was Russia’s best military friend during that country’s invasion of Ukraine, and Belarusian athletes were also excluded from events by the IOC.
The IOC said Friday that athletes or staff “who are under contract with the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies will not be eligible to register or compete. “
Additionally, athletes and support personnel “who actively support the war will not be eligible to be entered or to compete,” the IOC said.
Before the war began, Russia had sent 335 athletes to the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Russian athletes competed under the auspices of the Russian Olympic Committee as part of the aftermath of the country’s doping scandal.
Russian and Belarusian athletes who will be allowed to compete at the 2024 Olympics will compete without their country’s flag, colors and anthem. The IOC announced on Friday that eight Russians and three Belarusians were among those who qualified for the Summer Games.
While individual athletes will be allowed to compete, Russia and Belarus remain banned from team sports such as soccer and water polo.
While Russia maintains that the restrictions imposed on its athletes are “politicized and unacceptable,” Ukrainian athletes and officials have called on the IOC to ban Russian athletes from competing in Olympic competitions.