Categories: OlympicOther Sports

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.

Cataleya

Share
Published by
Cataleya

Recent Posts

Modern Pentathlon Transforms with Obstacle Running at LA 2028

Modern pentathlon will undergo a significant transformation at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as obstacle…

7 hours ago

Malaysia Claims First Men’s Gold in Sea Table Tennis History

Malaysia claimed their first-ever men’s team gold at the Sea Table Tennis Championships in Bangkok,…

7 hours ago

Andy Farrell Confident in Sam Prendergast Ahead of Fiji Test

Andy Farrell, Ireland head coach is confident that 21-year-old fly-half Sam Prendergast is ready for…

7 hours ago

Na-Rin An Tops Leaderboard at CME Group Tour Championship

Na-Rin An of South Korea holds a slim one-shot lead after the first round of…

7 hours ago

Scotland Defeats Switzerland to Set Up Men’s Final with Germany

Scotland will face Germany in the men's final at the European Curling Championships after a…

8 hours ago

Neil Robertson Meets Judd Trump in Thrilling UK Championship

Neil Robertson will face world number one Judd Trump in the first round of the…

8 hours ago