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Politics
Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University

'Politically neutral' Russian athletes can now enter the Olympics – but don't expect many to compete

Earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Russian and Belarussian athletes will be able to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics if they are politically neutral. The decision from the committee’s executive board reversed an earlier ban.

The IOC made this change even though the Russian National Olympic Committee remains suspended from competition for its violation of “the territorial integrity of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine”. For its part, Russia rejects the decision.

The committee’s decision has enraged Western leaders, particularly those in Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused the committee of effectively giving “[…] Russia the green light to weaponize the Olympics”.

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