Russians and Belarusians may participate in the upcoming Olympics under a neutral flag.
The IOC announced this last week.
"An avenue for athletes to participate under strict rules should be further explored," they wrote in a statement.
"Suffering enormously from the war"
That statement is now being praised by an expert panel at the UN.
- We urge the IOC to take a decision in that direction, and ensure that no athletes are discriminated against because of their nationality, the experts say in a statement.
- We understand the desire to support Ukrainian athletes and the Ukrainian Olympic Committee, as they suffer enormously from the war just like all other Ukrainians.
But the Olympic Committee and the Olympic community also have an obligation to adhere to the Olympic spirit and international human rights that prohibit discrimination.