The International Olympic Committee on Thursday said Russia and Belarus will not be invited to the 2024 Paris Summer games amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, but athletes from the two countries will still be allowed to compete as independent Olympians under a neutral flag if their sports allow it.
This general view shows the Olympic rings on display in front of City Hall in Paris on March 13, ... [+]
The committee has for months debated whether or not to invite the two countries but was pushed to make a formal decision as the deadline to send invitations— traditionally sent a year before opening ceremonies—approaches later this month.
In a post to its website, the committee pointed to other sports like tennis, cycling and football that have made similar decisions regarding Russian and Belarusian athletes and said the decision ultimately came down to ensuring the "security and integrity" of the Olympic games.
The committee said it was also swayed by a letter from the United Nations Human Rights Council that advised an outright ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes would be a "discriminatory and a flagrant violation of human rights.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started during the Beijing Olympics and Paralympic games last year, has been called a violation of the Olympic Truce that prohibits all warfare during and a week after competition.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.