Russians and Belarusians will not take part in the parade of athletes at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, the IOC said on Tuesday.
Russians and Belarusians will not take part in the parade of athletes at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics in July, the International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday. The athletes from these countries who qualify for the Games will be competing as independent athletes without their flags and anthems following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
'They will not participate in the parade of delegations during the opening ceremony, since they are individual athletes,' the IOC said following an executive board meeting.The IOC has laid out a vetting procedure for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be granted neutral status, with requirements including that they must not have publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a 'special military operation', or be affiliated with military or state security agencies.