The International Olympic Committee has opened the door to Russian athletes returning to competition – but not yet to the 2024 Olympic Games.
IOC President, Thomas Bach, postponed a decision on Russian and Belarusian athletes participating in Paris. But recommended federations let them participate in lesser events, under strict conditions.
« One, athletes with a Russian or a Belarusian passport must compete only as individual neutral athletes, » he said. « Two, teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport cannot be considered. Three, athletes who actively support the war cannot compete. Support personnel who actively support the war cannot be entered. »
The prospect of Russians participating in Paris has prompted protests. Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk said on Twitter that it was « a day of shame ». For German Interior and Sports Minister Nancy Faeser, the decision was a « slap in the face ».
But the Russian Olympic Committee has denounced the IOC’s reinsertion criteria as « discriminatory ».
