MOSCOW, March 7. /TASS/. Russian athletes have lost all chances to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games as they are skipping the 2024 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup series in Azerbaijan, according to International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) documents obtained by TASS.

Russian athletes could have had the opportunity to qualify for the Summer Olympics in Paris by competing successfully in the 2024 World Cup series. The winners of the Olympic quota are set to be determined based on the best results displayed at three out of four stages of the World Cup series.

Russian gymnasts have already skipped the World Cup series stages in Cairo (held on February 15-18) and in Cottbus, Germany (held on February 22-25). The third round of the World Cup series kicked off in Baku on March 7, but no Russian athletes were listed among the participants.

Russia has lost all chances of qualifying for the upcoming Olympics in France this summer as its national team’s athletes skipped three out of four World Cup series stages.

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games will be hosted by the French capital of Paris between July 26 and August 11.

The General Assembly of European Gymnastics voted on December 1 not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes back into its events next year, stating officially: "The General Assembly of European Gymnastics has voted against allowing athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus to return to official European Gymnastics competitions from 1 January 2024 onwards, thus not following the FIG decision."

Russian and Belarusian gymnasts have been barred from international competition since March 2022 over the situation in Ukraine. In July 2023, the Executive Committee of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international events under a neutral status starting from January 1, 2024.

On November 10, 2023, the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG) published a list of criteria for Russian athletes to take part in competitions supervised by the federation.

According to the published FIG criteria, only individual athletes will be allowed to compete internationally. Representatives of Russia and Belarus are prohibited from displaying any national symbols, or any symbols of their national gymnastics federations or National Olympic Committees.

Permission to participate in sanctioned events will be granted only to those athletes who have not expressed support for the special military operation in Ukraine (including expressing approval for Russia’s military operation on social media platforms through reposts or forwarded messages) and who are not affiliated with the armed forces or national security agencies.

Heads of national delegations, coaches, doctors and physiotherapists may also be allowed to participate. Russian and Belarusian state officials cannot be invited or accredited for any event supervised by the FIG and they also cannot participate as accompanying personnel.

On December 8, 2023, the 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.