International Olympic Committee permits Russian athletes to compete in the Winter Games
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced a series of measures aimed at athletes from Russia and Belarus participating in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Following an executive meeting in Milan, the IOC plans to issue a statement addressing the ongoing conflicts around the world, emphasising the importance of sport in promoting peace. However, the focus of the announcement will be on the sanctions against athletes from Russia and Belarus.
The sanctions are a response to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which has lasted for more than three years, and the doping scandal from the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. As a result, Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete only as neutral individual athletes, with their national teams banned from team events such as ice hockey and curling.
The International Biathlon Union has stated that neutral athletes will not be allowed to compete in biathlon events. Similarly, the international federations for bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge have banned Russian athletes from competing in the Olympic ice track in Cortina.
The International Skating Union is allowing Russians to compete in figure skating, speed skating, and short track under certain conditions, but the same rules do not apply to ski mountaineering.
Whether individual athletes from both countries will be allowed to compete in specific disciplines will be decided by the respective international sports federations. The International Ski Federation has not discussed the possibility of allowing Russians and Belarusians to compete in alpine skiing, ski jumping, cross-country skiing, and Nordic combined.
In addition to these restrictions, the national anthems of Russia and Belarus will not be played at the Winter Games, and medals won by Russians and Belarusians will not be included in the medal tally. The display of national symbols at the Olympic venues is also prohibited for athletes from these countries.
The IOC President, Kirsty Coventry, has emphasised that sport must now more than ever stand up for peace. The same rules that applied at the Summer Games in Paris last year will be in place for the Winter Olympics.
The IOC previously suspended Russia's Olympic Committee due to recognising the four Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Saporishzhia, which the IOC considered a violation of the Olympic Charter.
The sanctions against Russia and Belarus are expected to significantly reduce the number of athletes from these countries participating in Italy. Only a small number of athletes are expected to compete under the strict criteria set by the IOC.
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