The International Olympic Committee (IOC) authorized 14 Russian and 11 Belarusian athletes to participate in the Paris Olympic Games (July 26-August 11) in four disciplines, according to a first list published on Saturday by that body.
These athletes who will be able to participate in Paris-2024 had to pass their respective qualifying tests in cycling, gymnastics, weightlifting and Greco-Roman wrestling, in addition to a double control carried out by the IOC to verify that they did not support the Russian invasion of Ukraine and have no ties. with the army of Russia or Belarus.
After having prohibited the participation of athletes from those countries due to the war in Ukraine, the IOC finally decided to authorize their presence only in individual competitions, under a neutral flag and other strict conditions.
In March, the IOC anticipated the presence of 36 Russians and 22 Belarusians, according to its “most probable” estimate.
Russia and Belarus will have a much smaller number of athletes than they had at the Tokyo Games in 2021, with 330 and 104 respectively.
In addition to being deprived of their official colors, these athletes will not be able to parade during the opening ceremony and will not appear on the medal table.
cfe/eb/meb
