Youth athletes from Russia and Belarus should be allowed to compete for their countries at international events again, says the International Olympic Committee.
The IOC’s executive board has recommended athletes from the two nations should compete at both individual and team youth events under their country’s flag and national anthem, with the proposal supported at its Olympic summit meeting in Switzerland.
The next step involves international federations discussing the move with a view to it being in place by the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar.
“The summit supported the IOC EB’s recommendation that youth athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport should no longer be restricted in their access to international youth competitions, in both individual and team sports,” said an IOC statement issued about the summit meeting.
“The summit participants committed to take these discussions back to their organisations for their consideration. It was recognised that implementation by the stakeholders will take time.
“In addition, the standard protocols of the international federation (IF) or the international sports event organiser regarding flags, anthems, uniforms and other elements should apply, provided that the national sports organisation concerned is in good standing.
“The above principles should apply to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, and are recommended for adoption by all IFs and international sports event organisers for their own youth events.”
It added: “With its considerations today, the Olympic Summit recognised that athletes, and in particular youth athletes, should not be held accountable for the actions of their governments – sport is their access to hope, and a way to show that all athletes can respect the same rules and each another.”
The statement added that while Russia should still be barred from hosting international events, “this recommendation no longer applies to Belarus”.
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- Olympic Games
Source: BBC
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