IOC announced the verdict on the participation of athletes from Russia

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has extended the permission to allow athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus to compete under a neutral flag. The decision was made during the 12th summit of the Committee in Lausanne (Switzerland) on December 5.

This is reported with reference to the official website of the Olympic Games Committee.

During the meeting, the issue of the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in the upcoming Olympic competitions was raised. The summit stated that despite the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), the IOC has not changed its recommendations regarding the participation of individual neutral athletes (AIN) in the current difficult conditions.

It was emphasized that such protection of the rights of individual athletes to compete despite the suspension of their National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a well-established practice that respects human rights and has been implemented in a number of suspended NOCs during previous Olympic Games.

The summit recalled that the ROC had to be suspended due to a unilateral decision to include regional sports organizations subordinate to the NOC of Ukraine, which is a violation of the Olympic Charter, as it violates the territorial integrity of the NOC of Ukraine.

The IOC also noted that neutral-flag athletes can participate in the Olympic Games only under strict conditions - they will have to meet all the eligibility criteria that apply to any Olympic athlete.

Author – Anastasiya Glotova, 06/12/2023