Controversy Brews: Russian, Belarusian Athletes to Compete as Neutrals in Paris Olympics

The International Olympic Committee has announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not participate in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris following their countries’ ban due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, athletes from these nations who qualify for the Games can compete as neutrals with a decision regarding their participation in the closing ceremony pending.

So far, 12 individual neutral athletes with Russian passports and seven with Belarusian passports have qualified for Paris 2024. They must compete without national flags, emblems or anthems. Russia has expressed outrage at the IOC conditions while the IOC has condemned Russia’s plan to host “Friendship Games” in September as a politicization of sport, citing it as a violation of the Olympic Charter.

The IOC emphasized the potential exploitation of athletes and the disregard for anti-doping standards in such events. Last week, the World Anti-Doping Agency raised concerns about the health and fairness of athletes participating in unsanctioned multi-sports events.