Olympics - IOC Executive Board meeting - Salon Hoche, Paris, France - November 29, 2023 Olympic logos are seen before a press conference REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo
PARIS (Reuters) -The participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony will be discussed at the next International Olympic Committee executive board meeting on March 19, the IOC said on Wednesday.
IOC Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi said that the matter would be discussed at the "next session", which is scheduled for March 19 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
"As of today, it is not the case; athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport and taking part in the Games have not been banned (from participation in the ceremony)," IOC Coordination Commission chairman Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant told a press conference.
The IOC told Reuters that Russia is on the agenda of every Executive Board meeting and that a decision would not be made on March 19.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said on Wednesday that Russian and Belarusian athletes joining the Paralympics would not be part of their opening ceremony.
Russian and Belarusian athletes cannot take part in team competitions at the July 26-Aug. 11 Olympics, but are allowed to participate as neutrals - without flags or anthems being played.
The IOC had sanctioned Russia and Belarus after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a 'special military operation', but has since paved the way for their return to international competitions.
"From the outset, the IOC wanted to express its support for the athletes and ensure that there would be no discrimination on the basis of the passports they hold," Beckers-Vieujant told reporters.
"We say that we are ready to welcome them, of course on the basis of the decisions taken by the international federations. A certain number will pass the qualifying criteria, and we will carry out all the eligibility checks. If they don't come, it will be in their hands, and I hope that it will be more in their hands than in those of the Russian State," he added when asked about a potential Russian boycott of the Games.
"Our desire is that a qualified athlete who does not support the conflict started by Russia should be able to take part in the Olympics."
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Christian Radnedge and Toby Davis)
