During a press conference on Tuesday, the IOC confirmed the absence of the Russians and Belarusians, present under neutral banners, from the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Russian and Belarusian athletes, forced to compete under a neutral banner during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, will not “will not participate in the opening ceremony” announced the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday March 19 during a press conference held in Lausanne, Switzerland.
“The decision was unanimous. Athletes who compete under a neutral banner participate as individuals, they do not form a delegation or a team”indicated without further details James MacLeod, director of Olympic Solidarity within the IOC.
They will still be “guests at the ceremony” opening and the IOC undertakes that they “enjoy the experience”like what was done for athletes from the former Yugoslavia during the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992. The participation of Russians and Belarusians in the closing ceremony will be decided laterto the extent that it does not highlight the delegations but the athletes as a whole.
A review board, an anthem and a flag for “AIN”
The IOC is thus aligning itself with the decision taken at the beginning of March by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, on August 28, and excludes, just like the IPC, from taking into account the podiums of the “neutral individual athletes” (AIN) in his medal table. The executive commission of the body adopted on Tuesday a flag dedicated to Russians and Belarusians under a neutral banner, bearing the letters “AIN” on a green background, as well as a short anthem without words, which will be played in the event of an Olympic title.
For the moment only 12 Russians and 7 Belarusians have qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games, out of the 6,000 tickets already allocated, explained James Macleod. Olympic experts estimate that a total of 36 Russian athletes and 22 Belarusian athletes will overcome this obstacle, and that at “maximum”there will be only 55 and 28 respectively. All will have to undergo a “review committee” set up by the IOC to validate their eligibility, composed of Nicole Hoevertsz, IOC Vice-President, Pau Gasol, representative of the IOC Ethics Commission, and Seung Min Ryu, representative of the IOC Athletes’ Commission.
Athletes under neutral banner very supervised
This panel, which will meet “almost daily” throughout the qualifying events, as well as the IOC administration, will have “the power to invite a neutral individual athlete”based on criteria established in December 2023. Namely the exclusion of those openly supporting the invasion in Ukraine as well as those under contract with the Russian or Belarusian armies.
The Executive Committee recognizes that the Ukrainian Olympic Committee is an important source of information on these subjects. The list of neutral athletes ultimately selected will be published by the IOC, which undertakes to ensure that they “respect the principles of participation” and will monitor their behavior, “including after their return from the Games”.
