Int'l Tennis Federation permits Russian athletes to compete at Paris Olympics in neutral status

MOSCOW. March 6 (Interfax) - The International Tennis Federation (ITF) will allow Russians and Belarusians to take part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024 as neutral athletes, a statement on the organization's website said on Wednesday.

"The International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee will allow qualified and eligible athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as Individual Neutral Athletes and Paralympic Games as Neutral Paralympic Athletes," the ITF said in its statement.

Russian athletes will have to meet the qualification criteria set in ITF rules, it said.

On March 28, 2023, the International Olympic Committee recommended that international sports federations allow Russians and Belarusians to compete at Olympic tournaments as neutral athletes provided they do not support Russia's special military operation and are not associated with any military sports clubs.