Russian and Belarusian athletes admitted under a neutral banner to the 2024 Paris Olympics will not parade on the Seine with the other delegations during the opening ceremony on July 26, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Tuesday.
As they participate “in an individual capacity” in the competition, they will not join the parade of national teams, but “they will have the opportunity to experience the event”, indicated without further details James Macleod, director of Olympic Solidarity within the IOC.
The IOC thus aligns itself with the decision taken at the beginning of March by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, on August 28, and excludes, like the IPC, from taking into account the podiums of “athletes neutral individuals” (AIN) in its medal table.
The executive commission of the body adopted on Tuesday a flag dedicated to the Russians and Belarusians under a neutral banner, bearing the letters “AIN” on a green background, as well as a short anthem without words, which will be played in the event of an Olympic title.
Stripped of their national colors, athletes from the two countries should also be few in number: only 12 Russians and 7 Belarusians have so far qualified for the 2024 Olympics, out of the 6,000 tickets already allocated, explained James Macleod.
The Olympic body’s experts project, “according to the most probable scenario”, that 36 Russians and 22 Belarusians will overcome this obstacle in total, and that at the “maximum”, they will be 55 and 28 respectively, continued the official during from a press briefing.
Once qualified, they will also have to pass the hurdle of an “examination committee” set up by the IOC to validate their eligibility – which requires in particular that they have not actively supported the Russian invasion. of Ukraine.
A decision regarding the closing ceremony, which traditionally brings together athletes rather than delegations with a less strict protocol, “will be taken at a later date,” added James Macleod.