The IOC did not allow the first “neutral” athletes from Russia and Belarus to the 2024 Olympics, but some of them will make it to the Games

The International Olympic Committee announced the list of the first "neutral" athletes, which it does not allow to the Olympic Games in 2024, which will be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11. After the first wave of checks, 17 athletes from Russia and Belarus were denied permission.

Athletes of five sports were tested: cycling (highway), jumping on a trampoline, weightlifting, wrestling and taekwondo. In total, "neutral" athletes received 42 licenses in these sports, but the IOC confirmed their participation and admitted only 25 to the Olympic Games. That is, 17 licenses were revoked.

In taekwondo, none of the four citizens of the Russian Federation and the only representative of Belarus were allowed to compete (there were 5 licenses in total). In weightlifting, two athletes were not admitted (there were 4 licenses), in wrestling, 6 athletes with Russian passports and 4 with Belarusian passports were not admitted (there were 26 licenses). In cycling and trampoline jumping, all licenses are confirmed, athletes are admitted.

After checking, the IOC allowed 14 Russians and 11 Belarusians to compete. The message of the committee emphasizes that the list of admitted athletes will be updated.

Meduza provides a list of Russians admitted by the IOC to the Games: wrestlers — Nachin Mongush, Shamil Mamedov, Arslan Bagaev, Abdullah Kurbanov, Alan Ostayev, Magomed Murtazaliyev, Nataliya Malysheva, Veronika Chumikova, Alina Kasabiyeva, Elizaveta Petlyakova; cycling — Tamara Dronova, Olena Ivanchenko, Oleksandr Vlasov; jumping on a trampoline — Angela Bladtseva.

Ukraine requested that Natalia Malysheva not be allowed to compete, because she made a post on Instagram about her father, who could have participated in the invasion of Ukraine. Two other Russian women who liked this post — Dinara Kudayeva and Olga Khoroshavtseva — were not included in the list. Ukraine asked to disqualify them as well.

• Despite the protests of Ukraine and its allies, athletes from Russia and Belarus will be at the Olympics — officially they will be called "individual neutral athletes." Any symbols of these two countries are prohibited. In total, 54 quotas were allocated for Russian athletes at the Olympics, 28 for Belarusian ones.
• The NOC and the Ministry of Sports have already published recommendations for Ukrainian athletes regarding contact with athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus at the Olympics.