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Up to 100 Russian athletes may be eligible for 2024 Paris Olympics — sports official

"Our athletes participated in eight sports disciplines at the international level," Alexey Morozov noted

TYUMEN, February 14. /TASS/. Up to 100 Russian athletes still have a chance to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, Russian Deputy Sports Minister Alexey Morozov said on Wednesday.

"Up to 100 people may qualify for the [2024] Olympic Games," he said. "However, the criteria for admitting Russian athletes to international competition constantly change, so this figure could change later."

"Our athletes participated in eight sports disciplines at the international level," he added.

On December 8, 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed Russians and Belarusians to compete in the Olympic Games in Paris under a neutral status. The IOC reported that athletes from Russia and Belarus would not be allowed to participate in any team events.

Participation in the Olympics will also be denied to those who actively support hostilities. Individuals associated with the army or national security organizations will not be allowed to compete in the Olympics. Officials will not be accredited to the competition. The display of official symbols of Russia and Belarus will be prohibited.

Paris, known as the "City of Light," is scheduled to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games between July 26 and August 11, 2024.

IOC sanctions against Russia, Belarus

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

In late March, 2023, the IOC recommended to permit individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports tournaments, but only under certain conditions. Specifically, athletes from the two countries should not be "actively supporting" Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status. Russia and Belarus were also banned from participating in international team events.

On July 26, 2023, the IOC extended invitations to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris to 203 National Olympic Committees. Russia and Belarus did not receive invitations. The IOC explained later that there was no deadline regarding the issue of Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation.

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