Doping-Russian athletes back in doping spotlight after Paris green light

Olympics - Paris 2024 Olympics Press Conference - Paris, France - July 18, 2023 The logo of the Paris 2024 Olympics is pictured on the building of the Organising Committee headquarters ahead of a press conference REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

(Reuters) - The doping spotlight is once again on Russia after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cleared the way on Friday for the country's athletes to compete at next year's Paris Summer Games as neutrals.

Russians and Belarusians had initially been banned from competing internationally following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, for which Belarus has been used as a staging ground.