The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has basically allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international competitions again.
That's the conclusion of a previously unannounced meeting of the IOC executive on Wednesday.
No international sporting events will continue to take place in the two countries that are cooperating in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and their anthems, flags and national colors will not be visible at competitions.
Christopher Becker
sports editor.
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But from now on, a way should be found with the international sports federations to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions as "neutral athletes" (the IOC itself uses quotation marks in its message).
The condition is that, according to the IOC, they “fully respect the Olympic Charter”.
According to the IOC, what is meant is that the athletes must not have “actively supported” the Russian war and must meet the conditions of the World Anti-Doping Code.
IOC President Thomas Bach had been working on a return of Russian athletes for months.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday and – as he had previously told Bach – urged Russian athletes to be excluded from the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The qualifying competitions for Paris 2024 will start this spring.