LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to participate in the traditional parade at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, the IOC announced Tuesday.
For the July 26 opening ceremony, instead of the usual team parade inside the stadium, thousands of athletes will travel several miles by boat down the Seine toward the Eiffel Tower.
The IOC said athletes from Russia and Belarus, which are allowed to compete in the Olympics as neutral countries, would only have the chance to “experience the Games” and possibly watch from near the river.
Because of the war in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus have been excluded from team competition at the Olympics, and the IOC has instituted a two-step vetting procedure to give individual athletes from these countries a neutral stance. These athletes must first be approved by their individual sport's governing body and then by a review committee appointed by the IOC.
Neutral athletes must not publicly support the invasion of Ukraine or belong to the military or state security services. It is unclear whether membership in a Russian military sports club such as CSKA is grounds for denying neutral status.
The IOC said it expected around 36 neutral athletes with Russian passports and 22 with Belarusian passports to qualify for the Paris Games.
A decision on whether these athletes will be able to take part in the closing ceremony on August 11 will be decided “at a later stage”, the IOC said.
Medals won by neutral athletes will not be counted as a collective group in the overall medal table.
The IOC also revealed details of an alternative jade green flag to be used for neutral athletes during medal ceremonies. This flag carries a specially written national anthem with no lyrics.
The IOC's decision follows the International Paralympic Committee's announcement two weeks ago of a ban on the August 28 Paris opening ceremony.
