The International Olympic Committee has invited four swimmers from Russia and Belarus to compete as neutral athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Russian swimmers Evgeny Somov Belarusian swimmers Alina Zumushka, Ilya Shimanovichand Anastasia Shkurdai All are listed as “eligible invited athletes” holding Russian or Belarusian passports.
Russia and Belarus have been officially barred from the Olympics in 2022 after cooperating in an invasion of neighbouring Ukraine that has so far left hundreds of thousands of people dead.
Russia appealed its expulsion to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the appeal was upheld, not on the grounds that the CAS had taken a position against the war, but on the grounds that Russia's annexation of Ukrainian sports organisations had been found to be in breach of the Olympic Charter.
“NOCs may only exercise territorial jurisdiction within the boundaries of independent states recognized by the international community.”
“If the international community recognises these territories as part of Ukraine, then the Russian Federation's decision to accept sports organisations from these territories as members would violate the territorial integrity of the Football Federation of Ukraine. [Olympic Charter] Rules 28.5 and 30.1.”
But the IOC did provide a way for individual athletes, rather than teams, to take part in the Olympics, called “Individual Neutral Athletes,” also known as “AIN,” an acronym for the French phrase.
The application of the neutrality rule was left largely to sports federations, and some athletes were approved but ultimately not selected as qualifiers.
This includes Russian swimmers living in the US. Yulia EfimovaBelarusian swimmer fails to achieve Olympic qualification time Anastasia KryashovaBelarusian swimmers Grigory PekarskiBelarusian swimmer Ruslan Skamaroshka.
They also approved the neutrality of three Belarusian artistic swimmers, including from competing in so-called “high-risk world aquatics competitions” such as the Olympics. Vasilina KandushkaAlthough there is no individual synchronized swimming event at the Olympics, it would be possible to compete at the World Championships, for example.
Divers, water polo and artistic swimmers were not approved or invited.
“The AIN quota places were determined on the basis of existing qualifying competitions and the specific eligibility requirements of the International Federations (IFs),” the IOC said.
Among the requirements for athletes participating as neutrals is to sign the same Conditions of Participation as all athletes competing in the Olympics, which “include a commitment to respect the Olympic Charter, including the Olympic Movement's peace mission.”
The document, billed as a “Declaration of Neutrality” but without specifically mentioning the wars in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, has been signed by all athletes taking part in the Olympics and includes clauses requiring athletes to agree to social media guidelines, not manipulate competitions and follow anti-doping rules.
All four swimmers deemed eligible to compete by the IOC achieved Olympic qualifying times during the qualification period.
Evgeny Somov He became the unexpected favorite in the 100m breaststroke when he set a Russian record of 58.72 seconds at the Atlanta Classic in Atlanta in May, a race he had never previously run under one minute.
Anastasia Shkurdai She won a bronze medal in the 200 backstroke at the 2024 World Championships, which will be held in front of a smaller crowd.
Ilya Shimanovich He currently holds the world record for the short-course 100m breaststroke and has a record of 58.29 seconds for the longer distance, and although that swim was from 2019, he will record 58.41 seconds in April 2023, proving he can still swim fast as he approaches his 30th birthday.
Alina Zumushka Another breaststroker, she recorded a personal best of 1 minute 6.44 seconds in the 100-meter breaststroke in 2023 and 2 minutes 24.14 seconds in the 200-meter breaststroke semifinal at this year's World Championships.
As of July 3, 43 athletes (27 Russians and 16 Belarusians) who received invitations and have either accepted or not yet declined their spots are still eligible to compete in the Olympics.
| Russia | Belarus | |
| Road cycling | 3 | 1 |
| Gymnastics – Trampoline | 1 | 2 |
| Taekwondo | 1 | 0 |
| Weightlifting | 0 | 2 |
| wrestling | 9 | 1 |
| Rowing | 0 | 2 |
| photograph | 0 | 2 |
| tennis | 6 | 1 |
| Canoeing | 2 | 2 |
| judo | Four | 0 |
| swimming | 1 | 3 |
| total | 27 | 16 |
Fourteen invited athletes, including six of the seven Belarusian wrestlers invited, have declined to participate. It is unclear whether the athletes are receiving financial support to take part in the Olympics. Among the well-known athletes who have declined to participate are Belarusian tennis players. Aryna SabalenkaThe former world number one and four-time major champion had publicly spoken out against the war and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, but had also caused controversy in the country early in her tennis career with political statements in support of Lukashenko.
Russian officials have repeatedly said publicly that it is up to the athletes to decide whether to take part in the Olympics.
