Russian and Belarusian "neutral" athletes were admitted to the Olympic Games in Paris based on the decisions of the International Olympic Committee Neutrality Verification Commission (AINERP).
This is stated in the response of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which was received by Babel after the investigation about the Russian "neutral" Olympians.
The commission admitted Russian athletes based on the decisions and principles of the IOC, they say. During the inspection, the commission "could use" information "from various sources", in particular, official lists of athletes who are connected to clubs of power structures. At the same time, the IOC refused to comment on the decisions made by AINERP regarding the Russians, as well as the facts of their support for the war against Ukraine.
According to the IOC principles regarding the participation of neutral athletes in the Olympic Games, such athletes should not support the war against Ukraine, nor use national or military symbols, such as Georgian ribbons or the “Z” symbol. This also applies to social networks, interviews and reposts of athletes. Babel found out precisely such facts in the biographies of nine Russians whom the IOC recognized as neutral.
It is not known for certain by what specific criteria the IOC selects "neutral" athletes, the National Olympic Committee (NOC) spokesman Maksym Cheboryaka said on the air of Public Radio. However, the IOC did toss out many of the Russian military who were going to the Olympics and supported the war, he added.