Decision on participation of Russian, Belarusian athletes in Paris Olympics expected no earlier than year before its start- IOC

BRUSSELS. March 30 (Interfax) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will decide on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the 2024 Paris Olympics no earlier than a year before the games, IOC President Thomas Bach said on Thursday.

"The decision about the participation of athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports will definitely come after the one year to go. As we have been indicating in our recommendations, we want to monitor now the implementation of our recommendation. We know that this is a complex issue," Bach said at a press conference.

He noted that the IOC plans to monitor whether the recommendations for athletes from Russia and Belarus are respected, and once there is a clear picture of what is going on, the IOC will make a decision on the Olympics.

Bach said earlier this week that the IOC had recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes participate in international competitions under a neutral flag.

According to the criteria set for Russians and Belarusians, only those who do not support the Russian special military operation in Ukraine can be admitted to tournaments. Athletes associated with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies are also banned from competitions. Russian and Belarusian athletes remain banned from competing in team sports.

The Summer Olympic Games in Paris will be held from July 26 to August 11, 2024.