Representatives of worldwide sports activities federations and nationwide Olympic committees on Tuesday referred to as for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be admitted underneath a impartial flag for the 2024 Games in Paris “as soon as possible”.
During the Olympic summit in Lausanne, athlete representatives additionally requested for “clarity” on the difficulty, in accordance with a press release revealed after the assembly.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) nonetheless has to make a last ruling on whether or not athletes from Russia and Belarus, a key ally for Moscow in its offensive on Ukraine, can be permitted to compete subsequent summer time.
The IOC has repeated its stance {that a} resolution can be taken “at the appropriate time”.
Athletes from the 2 international locations have confronted sanctions from a mess of sports activities since Russia launched its assault on Ukraine in February of 2022.
However, over the previous 12 months various Olympic sports activities have eased restrictions, permitting them to return to competitors underneath sure situations.
In March, the IOC lifted an outright ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, permitting them to compete as impartial athletes supplied they didn’t help the Ukraine battle and had no ties to the army.
The IOC on Tuesday “confirmed that the participation of such AINs (individual neutral athletes) in the Olympic Games could happen only under the existing strict conditions”.
“Neither the qualification system developed by the respective International Federations nor the number of allocated quota places to a sport will be changed for AINs with a Russian or Belarusian passport,” it added.
The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) on October 12 for violating the territorial integrity of the membership of Ukraine by recognising illegally annexed territories.
ROC has recognised regional organisations from 4 Ukrainian territories annexed since Russia’s invasion started in 2022.
Russia’s Olympic physique final month launched an enchantment towards its suspension by the IOC on the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
In September, officers voted to permit Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at subsequent 12 months’s Paralympics underneath a impartial flag after deciding towards an outright ban.
(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – AFP)
