MOSCOW, July 13. /TASS/. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will send invitations to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to 203 National Olympic Committees on July 26, but not to Russia and Belarus, the IOC said in a statement on Thursday.

The decision is due to the sanctions that the IOC imposed on Russia and Belarus over the conflict in Ukraine.

Besides, the IOC will not send an invitation to the National Olympic Committee of Guatemala, suspended in September 2022.

The IOC pointed out that a final decision on the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes would be made in due course.

On March 28, the IOC issued recommendations that athletes from Russia and Belarus be allowed to compete in international tournaments only as neutrals, provided that they have not made public statements in support of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and are not affiliated with the Russian Armed Forces and national security agencies. The IOC’s initiatives aren’t binding and don’t apply to the upcoming Olympic Games. It’s international sports federations that are expected to establish the admission criteria for Russian athletes.