Ukraine relaxes ban on sports matches against Russian athletes ahead of Paris Olympics
Fox News
The Ukrainian government is loosening restrictions on participating in sporting events with Russian athletes.
In a Wednesday decree, the Ukrainian government said it would be narrowing the focus of its ban on sports matches against Russian competitors.
Moving forward, Ukrainian athletes will be allowed to compete against Russian athletes not representing their home country.
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Ukrainians will be allowed to contend with Russian citizens playing a sport under a neutral or third-party flag.
The change in policy will open the door for Ukrainian athletes to prepare for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
The International Olympic Committee will send out invitations for the 2024 Paris Olympics later this month, but Russia and Belarus will be among the nations that will not be included.
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The IOC announced Thursday that, while a formal decision regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at next year’s Summer Games has yet to be made, the two nations will not be sent formal invitations when the more than 200 eligible national Olympic committees receive theirs on July 26.
“The IOC will take this decision at the appropriate time, at its full discretion, and without being bound by the results of previous Olympic qualification competitions,” a statement read.
Following the war in Ukraine, the IOC urged international sports bodies to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from competition. Many did, while others allowed them to compete under a neutral banner.
More than a year later, the IOC has been working to support a pathway to allow some athletes to qualify for Paris by competing as neutral, a recommendation made by the Olympic Council of Asia.
Russian and Belarusian competitors participating without representing their respective nations are referred to as “Individual Neutral Athletes.”
Individual Neutral Athletes are barred from wearing national symbols of any country, and their medals are not counted towards any nation’s total count of wins.
Fox News’s Paulina Dedja contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/ukraine-relaxes-ban-sports-matches-russian-athletes-paris-olympics