John Coates

Senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice-President John Coates is unsure about the exact number of Russian athletes who will compete as neutral athletes at the Paris Games, but suggests that reports of around 40 could be accurate. This is due to sanctions from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Belarus acting as a staging post, allowing only some Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under strict conditions. The decision to include these neutral athletes has been criticized by Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. Neutral athletes will only compete in individual sports without national symbols, and those supporting the war in Ukraine or contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military are ineligible. Despite restrictions, Russia’s Olympic chief, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, confirmed Russian athletes would not boycott the Games. Previously, 335 athletes competed under the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team in Tokyo 2021, and Belarus sent 101 athletes. The ROC has been suspended by the IOC for recognizing regional Olympic Councils in annexed Ukrainian territories, a decision upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). As of the decision in December, eight Russians and three Belarusians had qualified for the Paris Olympics, with over 60 Ukrainians also qualified. Some sports have banned Russian and Belarusian athletes, while others, like World Swimming and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), will allow them under IOC restrictions. Russia’s world number four tennis player, Daniil Medvedev, expressed his intention to compete and follow the rules. The Paris Olympics are scheduled from July 26 to August 11.