2023-07-08 15:34:41
Russian and Belarusian athletes will be able to participate under a neutral banner and individually in the Asian Games scheduled in China in September, the organizers announced on Saturday.
Meeting in Bangkok, the general assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) authorized the participation of a maximum of 500 athletes from the two countries who will try to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. But it attached this authorization of several conditions.
“We are proposing to allow individual athletes from Russia and Belarus — I mean, individual athletes, a quota of 500 — to compete under a neutral banner as individual athletes,” explained the OCA’s chief executive, Husain al-Musallam before the assembly approves the motion.
Athletes will also not be eligible for medals. Athletes from both countries were banned from many sporting events following Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, before being able to participate once more under certain conditions.
On March 28, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sports competitions, without commenting on their presence at the Games in Paris, on several conditions of neutrality: participation under a neutral banner, as individual, not having a contract with the Russian army or security services, or even not having supported the war in Ukraine.
The director general of the OCA also stressed that no Russian or Belarusian politician would be invited to the Asian Games, organized in Hangzhou at the end of September (September 23-October 8), and that the symbols of the two countries would be banned. The Asian Games were supposed to take place in 2022 but they were postponed for a year due to very strict anti-Covid rules in China. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been denounced by much of the international community, including many European countries.
Russian and Belarusian athletes will be able to participate under a neutral banner and individually in the Asian Games scheduled in China in September, the organizers announced on Saturday.
Meeting in Bangkok, the General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) authorized the participation of a maximum of 500 athletes from the two countries who…
1688837403
#Russian #Belarusian #athletes #participate #neutral #banner
