Olympic Games: a small number of Russian and Belarusian athletes will come to Paris

Participating in the Olympic Games under a neutral flag is not a high stakes for athletes from Russia and Belarus. For multiple reasons, some of them refuse to participate. Only 16 Russian and 17 Belarusian athletes accepted the IOC's invitation to compete under a neutral flag at the Paris Olympics (July 26-August 11), a far lower number than expected, according to the latest figures. This list, which covers ten disciplines, from cycling to swimming to tennis, may still change, depending on the pace of withdrawals, a spokesman for the Olympic organization told AFP. Currently, the International Olympic Committee has received 19 refusals from the Russian side - including athletes who have changed their minds - and 7 from the Belarusian side, including tennis players Arina Sabalenka, world number 2, and Victoria Azarenka, occupying the 16th place in the WTA ranking . The four Russian judokas invited to the Games declined the offer en masse, as did the fighters (even if the IOC still mentions Shamil Mamedov among the participants), their federation denouncing "the non-sporting principle of the selection". The Russian gymnasts had previously announced that they would not come, and the athletes knew from the beginning that they were excluded, as the International Federation maintained a total exclusion. The World Olympic Forum, which initially banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from world sport after the Russian army invaded Ukraine in February 2022, orchestrated their gradual return under a neutral flag under strict conditions and excluding team events from the outset. In order to be invited to the Games, "individual neutral athletes" had to overcome the obstacle of qualifications, followed by a double check, by the international federations, then by the IOC, and prove that they did not actively support the war in Ukraine and that they did not ties with the armies of their countries. In March, the IOC counted on the presence of 36 Russians and 22 Belarusians for the 2024 Olympics "according to the most likely scenario", compared to 330 Russians and 104 Belarusians who participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They will eventually be even fewer in number and will only take part in cycling (3 Russians and 1 Belarusian), trampoline (1 Russian and 1 Belarusian), taekwondo (1 Belarusian), weightlifting (2 Belarusians), wrestling (1 Russian, if he remains on the list, 1 Belarusian), rowing (2 Belarusians), shooting (2 Belarusians), tennis (7 Russians, including world number 5, Daniil Medvedev), kayak-canoeing (3 Russians and 2 Belarusians ) and swimming (1 Russian and 4 Belarusians).