The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will not extend a formal invitation for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris to the national teams of Russia and Belarus, the IOC informed on July 13.
Some 203 eligible national Olympic committees (NOCs) will receive their invitations to Paris on July 26, excluding Russia and Belarus due to their armed aggression against Ukraine.
Guatemala will also be excluded as its participation has been suspended since September 2022.
This decision does not extend to individual athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports. In March 2023, the IOC recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes be again allowed to participate in international competitions, provided they do so as "individual neutral athletes."
The IOC has not yet taken a decision on Russian and Belarusian citizens competing as neutral athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games but promised to resolve the issue at an "appropriate time."
Over 30 countries have urged the IOC to continue its ban on Russia and Belarus from competing in international sporting events, including the 2024 Olympic Games.
Ukraine's government announced it will boycott all competitions with Russian or Belarusian athletes.
Martin Fornusek
