LAUSANNE: The International Olympic Committee has again sought to please all sides and opinions over Russia and Belarus competitors in global sport.

A round of video calls and consultations agreed to maintain sanctions already in place with no international sports events being organised in the two pariah nations.

Also no flag, anthem, colours or any other identifications of these countries should be displayed at any sports event or meeting, including the entire venue and no Russian and Belarusian government or state officials should be invited to or accredited for any international sports event or meeting.

The IOC also reiterated “full and unwavering commitment to solidarity with the Ukrainian athletes and the Ukrainian Olympic community in order to have a strong team from the NOC of Ukraine at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.”

However it should not be down to national governments to decide which athletes “can participate in which competition and which athletes cannot.” The IOC added: “No athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport.”

However Russian and Belarussian competitors should “participate in competitions as ‘neutral athletes’ and in no way represent their state or any other organisation in their country, as is already happening in professional leagues, particularly in Europe, the United States and Canada, and in some individual professional sports.”

A statement added: “Only athletes who fully respect the Olympic Charter would participate. This means in particular: first, only those who have not acted against the peace mission of the IOC by actively supporting the war in Ukraine could compete. Second, only athletes who fully comply with the World Anti-Doping Code and all relevant anti-doping rules and regulations would be eligible. There must be individual checks carried out for all entered athletes.”

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