The vice president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), John Coates, is not sure how many Russian athletes will compete as neutrals in the Paris Olympic Games, but pointed out that the Information that points to about 40 athletes could be close to reality.
Under the sanctions imposed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, for which Belarus served as the stage, the IOC only allows some Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in Paris under strict restrictions.
The inclusion of neutral athletes remains a contentious issue: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba called December’s decision to allow them “shameful,” and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said last week that she hopes Do not travel to the French capital.
“The question is how many of them are going to be there, because they’re not going to be in any team sports because they can’t compete like Russia,” Coates stated.
“Obviously some athletes could decide not to go if they do not compete for Russia (…) I may not be right, but I think I have read something that there could be only 40.”
individual sports
Neutral athletes will compete in individual sports without national flags, emblems or anthems, and athletes who actively support the war in Ukraine or are contracted by the Russian or Belarusian military will not be able to participate.
Moscow called the restrictions “illegitimate, unfair and unacceptable” but Russian Olympic chief Stanislav Pozdnyakov confirmed his athletes will not boycott the Games.
Due to doping sanctions that prevented them from competing under the Russian flag, 335 athletes participated in the Tokyo Games as a Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team, winning 71 medals. Belarus sent 101 athletes who won seven medals.
Some sports, such as equestrian, have announced that they will not allow any athletes from those countries to compete, while the international athletics federation maintains a general ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from early 2022.
Other sports, such as swimming and tennis, will allow Russians and Belarusians to compete under IOC restrictions. Daniil Medvedev, number four in the world tennis rankings, said earlier this month that he was looking forward to competing and that he would respect the rules.
The Paris Games are held from July 26 to August 11
Source: Ambito
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