IOC issues recommendations for Russian athletes' return to competitions

The IOC Executive Board's recommendations relate only to the return of those athletes in international competitions but not the 2024 Olympics where a separate decision will be taken at a later date, Bach said.

The IOC had sanctioned Russia and Belarus after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine but it is now eager to see athletes come back across all sports and have a chance to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

It has set out a pathway for these competitors to earn Olympic slots through Asian qualifying and left it up to international federations to decide on an organisation, but has faced headwinds, with Ukraine threatening to boycott the Paris Games should they compete there, even as neutrals.

“The Olympic movement stakeholders reiterated their firm restriction of any political interference in the autonomous authority of sports organisations to decide on participation in their competitions. This clear and strong reaction to political interference was considered necessary because if governments took over the decision regarding which athletes can take part in which competitions, it would be the end of world sport as we know it today,” Bach told a news conference after the meeting.

Bach said the recommendations for events organisers and sports federations to follow include Russian and Belarusian athletes can only compete as neutrals, with no flag or anthem.

They cannot take part in team events and have to have a proven drug testing record.

Athletes who support the war or are contracted to their countries' military or national security agencies cannot take part.

These recommendations, however, do not include the Paris 2024 Olympics and the potential participation of Russia and Belarus, Bach said.

"The IOC will take this decision at the appropriate time, at its full discretion and without being bound by the results of previous Olympic qualification competitions," Bach told the news conference. He did not say when the IOC would take that decision.

"The IOC expressly reserves the right to decide about their participation at the appropriate time," he added.

Russian Olympic head says IOC rules on participation 'unacceptable'

The head of Russia's Olympic Committee on Tuesday denounced as 'unacceptable' the criteria announced by IOC intended to enable Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in international competitions.

Stanislav Pozdnyakov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee, told a news conference that he opposed any notion of Russian and Belarusian athletes competing as neutrals with no use of flags or anthems allowed.

He also denounced the imposition of additional anti-doping procedures for Russian competitors -- a measure linked to previous doping scandals.

"The parameters as announced are absolutely unacceptable. This is discrimination on the basis of nationality, as repeatedly noted by international human rights specialists...," Pozdnyakov told a news conference, a video clip of which was posted on his Telegram account.

"Neutral status is a violation of human rights... We believe the proposed conditions to be groundless, void of legal basis and excessive.

"We categorically disagree with conducting additional anti-doping procedures as regards Russian athletes."

The IOC decision, he said, amounted to "an acknowledgement of their error" when the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes was introduced days after Russian troops moved into Ukraine.