© Clive Brunskill / Staff Getty Images Sport
James MacLeod, CEO of the International Olympic Committee, announced following a board meeting in Lausanne that 37 Russians and 22 Belarusians will be able to take part in the Paris Olympics 2024
“The group is so small because it only includes those who have not publicly supported the invasion and have no relationship with the army or military agencies,” explained the IOC in a note.
It was also established that the two teams will be banned from the competition. Everyone will perform under the banner of Individual neutral athletes, with a jade green flag that will be waved only for the awards ceremony and an ad hoc anthem without lyrics.
The podiums won by these athletes will not be displayed in the medal table. Also confirmed as no Russian and Belarusian government officials will be invited or accredited.
Sabalenka out from Paris Olympics, Medvedev and Rublev in
Ultimately, very few Russian and Belarusian athletes will be able to enjoy the opportunity to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, among these there will be two tennis players: numbers 4 and 6 in the ATP ranking Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev.
Medvedev and Rublev are ready to stop in Paris in the summer to get the satisfaction of winning a medal at the prestigious Olympic Games.
“I will play singles and doubles: Tokyo 2021 was an extraordinary experience. It is one of the best memories of my sporting life, which I was surprised by because in our discipline we tend to think that the Slams are more important,” stated Medvedev recently.
mong the notable absences, as far as tennis is concerned, the Belarusians Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka stand out.
At the Miami Open, Aryna Sabalenka’s arrival on the court, after her best friend Paula Badosa, undoubtedly had a certain effect on all the fans. The Belarusian and the Spanish woman took to the court wearing strictly black suits as a sign of mourning for the tragic death of the Belarusian’s ex-boyfriend
Aryna was able to focus exclusively on tennis at that moment and play a difficult match against the person she loves most on the WTA circuit. The 25-year-old proved to be in better shape than the Iberian, still not in 100% condition, and in the end she prevailed 6-4, 6-3.
