The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Thursday that Russia and Belarus will not receive formal invitations to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics, along with the suspended National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Guatemala. This decision comes as part of an IOC tradition where all eligible national teams are invited to the Summer or Winter Games exactly one year prior to the event.
However, despite not receiving formal invitations, individual athletes from Russia and Belarus may still have the opportunity to compete in Paris without representing their respective national teams. This exception could be made despite the ongoing conflict between their countries and Ukraine.
The IOC stated that 203 eligible NOCs will receive their invitations to Paris on July 26. The decision to exclude Russia, Belarus, and Guatemala was based on the reasons given, as stated in the IOC’s official statement.
Viktor Lukashenko, the son of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, serves as the president of the Belarus NOC. The IOC has previously called for international sports bodies to isolate and prevent athletes, officials, and host cities from Russia and Belarus shortly after the conflict began 17 months ago.
Leading up to the upcoming Olympics, the IOC has encouraged sports bodies to allow some Russian and Belarusian athletes, evaluated as neutral individuals, to participate in qualifying events for Paris. However, the IOC retains the authority to decide whether or not to invite Russia and Belarus to the Games, regardless of the results of previous qualification competitions.
Additionally, Guatemala’s NOC is currently suspended from the Olympic movement due to allegations of government interference with the independence of the NOC.
As the Games approach, the participation status of individual athletes from Russia, Belarus, and Guatemala will be determined by the IOC in due course, exercising its discretionary powers.
Photo credit – Michel Euler / Associated Press / Paris, France
