Why is Russia banned from competing at the Paris Olympics 2024?
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned Russia and its athletes from the competition for invading Ukraine on February 24, 2022, violating the Olympic Truce.
Usually, the Olympic Truce will be in place before the start of the Olympics and concludes after the seven days of the Paralympics to ensure athletes and spectators can travel safely to the Games and peacefully return to their respective countries.
Notably, the Winter Olympics 2022 in Beijing started on February 4 and the Paralympics concluded on March 13. With the Russian Federation violating the Truce, Russia and Belarus, for providing military support, were banned from the Winter Paralympics 2022.
The Olympic Summit in December 2022 confirmed that the sanctions that were in place against Russia and Belarus since February 2022 will remain in place during the Paris Olympics 2024 as well.
Can the Russian athletes compete at Paris Olympics 2024?
Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be allowed to participate under their flag at the Paris Olympics 2024.
It’s important to note that athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport are not allowed to compete. However, Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete in individual sports as neutral athletes if they meet the eligibility conditions set by the IOC.
Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete as an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN). They will undergo an additional vetting process to consider they are not supporting the war and haven’t been contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military alongside meeting all anti-doping requirements.
The individually cleared athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports will not carry the country’s flag or emblem during the Olympics. Instead, AINs will participate under a teal flag with its acronym and an anthem with no lyrics at the medal ceremonies.
It’s worth noting that the Russian athletes participated under the name of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 while serving a two-year suspension for a state-sponsored doping program.
Notably, in December 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned Russia from international sports competitions after concluding that it had run a state-sponsored doping scheme during the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.