Russian and Belarusian athletes competing at this summer’s Paris Olympics under neutral flags will not be able to attend the opening ceremonies, the president of the Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday. IOC Director James MacLeod said after an IOC Executive Board meeting in Lausanne that individual athlete neutrals (AINs) from either country “will not participate in the parades of delegations and teams during the opening ceremony” , because they are individual athletes.” “But we will provide them with the opportunity to experience this event,” McLeod added. AIN will be on site but will not be a passenger in the July 26 boat parade on the Seine, he said.
MacLeod said the situation mirrored that of “independent Olympic competitors” from the former Yugoslavia at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
“The decision regarding AIN’s participation in the closing ceremony will be made at a later stage, taking into account that it is not the teams that will participate in the closing ceremony, but all athletes together.”
Athletes from Russia and Belarus have been banned from attending the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Paris on August 28, a little more than two weeks before the Games end.
The IOC suspended Russia from the 2024 Games in December but gave Russian and Belarusian athletes the green light to compete as neutrals as long as they did not actively support the war in Ukraine.
Athletes in Russia and Belarus have faced sanctions across multiple sports since Moscow launched an offensive against Ukraine in February 2022.
Last year, some Olympic sports eased restrictions, allowing athletes from both countries to return to competition under certain conditions.
However, Russians and Belarusians are still banned from competing in athletics.
McLeod added that 12 AINs holding Russian passports and 7 AINs holding Belarusian passports have currently qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, out of the 6,000 quotas already awarded.
It is currently expected that “in the most likely scenario, 36 AINs holding Russian passports and 22 AINs holding Belarusian passports will qualify for the Olympics”.
McLeod said the unlikely maximum numbers would be 55 and 28 respectively.
Some 330 Russian athletes and 104 Belarusian athletes participated in the Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed due to the coronavirus epidemic.
The IOC said the AIN will have its own flag and an anthem without lyrics. Medals won by AIN will not be displayed in the overall medal table.
“The flag, national anthem, colors or any other logo of Russia or Belarus will not be displayed at any official venue or at any official event at the Paris 2024 Games,” the IOC said.
“No Russian or Belarusian government or state officials will be invited or recognized to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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