Sports authorities rally for Russian athletes' neutrality at Paris 2024
Russia's gold medallist Anna Shcherbakova celebrates during the Women Single Skating Free Skating flower ceremony on day thirteen of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China, Feb. 17, 2022. (Getty Images Photo)


Delegates from global sports federations and national Olympic committees urged the swift admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral flag for the 2024 Paris Games Tuesday.

During the Olympic summit in Lausanne, athlete representatives also asked for "clarity" on the issue, according to a statement published after the meeting.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) still has to make a final ruling on whether athletes from Russia and Belarus, a key ally for Moscow in its offensive on Ukraine, will be permitted to compete next summer.

The IOC has repeatedly stated that a decision will be taken "at the appropriate time."

Athletes from the two countries have faced sanctions for a multitude of sports since Russia launched its assault on Ukraine in February 2022.

However, several Olympic sports have eased restrictions over the past year, allowing them to return to competition under certain conditions.

In March, the IOC lifted an outright ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, allowing them to compete as neutral athletes provided they did not support the Ukraine conflict and had no ties to the military.

The IOC on Tuesday "confirmed that the participation of such individual neutral athletes (AINs) in the Olympic Games could happen only under the existing strict conditions."

"Neither the qualification system developed by the respective International Federations nor the number of allocated quota places to a sport will be changed for AINs with a Russian or Belarusian passport," it added.

The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) on Oct. 12 for violating the territorial integrity of the membership of Ukraine by recognizing illegally annexed territories.

ROC has recognized regional organizations from four Ukrainian territories annexed since Russia's invasion began in 2022.

Russia's Olympic body last month launched an appeal against its suspension by the IOC at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

In September, officials voted to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at next year's Paralympics under a neutral flag after deciding against an outright ban.