Daniil Medvedev is one of the tennis players with Russian citizenship who will participate in Paris Olympics 2024.  Photo by Dacoucou via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0,

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has released the final list of 16 Russian and 17 Belarusian athletes who will participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. 

Russian and Belarusian athletes were granted entry to the Olympics by a special IOC commission (AINERP). Requirements for neutral status include no support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine and no ties to the military or intelligence services (including sports clubs like Dynamo and CSKA), and participation in individual disciplines.

Initially, Russian athletes received 36 invitations from the committee, and Belarusian athletes, 27.  However, some of those invited either declined straight away or first accepted and subsequently declined the invitations sometimes for reasons beyond their control.  The Russian Judo federation denied the four accepted Judo athletes participation. Judo is one of the favorite sports of the Russian authoritarian leader Vladimir Putin.  The same happened with wrestlers: of 10 invited, 9 declined straight away, and one initially accepted but later declined. As the publication Sport Express stated, on June 19, the executive committee of the Russian wrestling federation recommended that all athletes qualified for the 2024 Games accept the invitation, which they did. However, two and a half weeks later, the position changed, and the Russian wrestlers, who had passed all the screenings, will stay home.

It is no wonder that the whole gymnastics association had not even applied for quotas in the Olympics. Associated Press reported that gymnastics coach Valentina Rodionenko told Russian media that Russia should not participate in World Cups unless the criteria are relaxed. Additionally, six months before the Olympics, records from the International Gymnastics Federation revealed that “neutral” status was granted to 30 individuals from Belarus, including athletes, coaches, and officials, but no Russians.

Earlier, the Russian Olympic gold medalist Alina Kabaeva said that the International Gymnastics Federation’s decision to lift the outright ban on Russian athletes is “not enough,” asserting that they should be allowed to compete under Russia’s flag. The former rhythmic gymnast, who is widely rumored to have been the girlfriend of President Vladimir Putin for over 20 years, also claimed that “political interference” is “destroying” sport. 

Photo: (L–R) Alina Kabaeva (bronze), Yulia Barsukova (gold) and Yulia Raskina (silver) at 2000 Olympic Games podium. Photo by Tomtheobald via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 3.0.

Among the 13 qualified Russian tennis players, 7 declined to participate. Meduza wrote that Stanislav Pozdnyakov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee, strongly criticized Russian tennis players who plan to compete in the Summer Olympics in Paris under a neutral status.

In a message on his Telegram channel, Pozdnyakov stated that he “shares and supports” the opinion of Irina Viner, President of the All-Russian Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics. Viner had previously referred to the Russians competing in the Olympics as a “team of bums.” Pozdnyakov made his remarks amid an ongoing debate between Viner and the tennis players.

The only point I disagree with is the term “team of bums,” particularly regarding the tennis players, who spend most of their time abroad, earn their living there, claim they are “playing for themselves,” and criticize their country's policies and the Special Military Operation (SMO) [The Russian invasion of Ukraine]. Therefore, in my view, it is more accurate to call them a “team of foreign agents,” who will certainly face no obstacles in representing themselves at the Olympics.

In Belarus, according to Zerkalo media,  the pro-Russian Telegram activist Olga Bondareva lashed out at Belarusian athletes who will be going to the Olympics under a neutral status. She expressed her outrage on her Telegram channel, outraged by the news that Belarusian rower Hanna Prakaten switched her sports citizenship (previously Russian) before the Paris Olympics and will be competing for the Uzbekistan team.

“People without a homeland. And without conscience — athletes who betray. Such people went to the Olympics under the white flag of capitulators,” Bondareva wrote.

The Moscow Times, citing sports.ru, wrote that Russian television will not broadcast the Olympics for the first time in 40 years due to the near-total absence of Russian athletes.

The news outlet also reported that pirated live broadcasts of the Olympics are being advertised by groups on VKontakte, the popular Russian state owned social network. VKontakte’s press service announced that it will officially host content related to the Paris Games but has no plans to purchase broadcasting rights.

The Paris Olympics will take place from July 26 to August 11 2024.