IOC officials estimate that 36 Russian athletes and 22 Belarusian athletes will be eligible to compete in the Paris Games as what the IOC calls “individual neutral athletes.” The IOC has suspended the Russian Olympic Committee, accusing Russia of trying to claim athletes from occupied Ukraine as its own.
After Tuesday's executive board meeting, the IOC laid out plans for individual neutral athletes in Paris, saying they would not be able to take part in the opening parade on the Seine, but could take part in ceremonies later that evening. The IOC designed a teal flag to be used at medal ceremonies and created a wordless national anthem.
Twelve Russian and seven Belarusian neutral individual athletes have already qualified. Mr. Gasol's committee will first examine their backgrounds and look for signs that they support Russian actions in Ukraine. After retiring, Gasol became a UNICEF ambassador for youth health issues. called for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
IOC National Olympic Committee relations director James McLeod said on Tuesday that the committee would review decisions made by the sport's international governing body regarding athletes and investigate social media posts.
“Also, anyone who submits information related to athletes will be considered,” MacLeod said. “And probably the best source of information at the moment is from the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, which is considering this issue very seriously.”
