Russian and Belarusian athletes allowed to compete at 2024 Paris Olympic Games as neutral athletes

In a boost for the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka among others, Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games next year in Paris.

In news confirmed today, it was set as an Olympic wide precedent albeit they will be under similar jurisdiction to the current rules surrounding tennis players with those involved competing as neutral athletes.

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Russian and Belarusian athletes will participate in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as neutral athletes, as confirmed by the IOC. 🚨

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Rublev and Pavlyuchenkova among trio of Russian medallists at last games

This means as well that Andrey Rublev and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova could defend their mixed doubles crown that they won in Tokyo in the rescheduled 2020 edition. They won three medals as a nation.

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Karen Khachanov sealed the men's singles silver medal losing to Alexander Zverev, while Aslan Karatsev and Elena Vesnina won the silver for Russia in the final with Rublev and Pavlyuchenkova. Since then of course, the war with the Ukraine has broken out which has seen many Ukrainian athletes asking for bans on Russians at the Olympic Games.

But with the news today, their wishes have not been granted as they will still be able to play. Albeit there are strict entry rules as per the IOC including the following pertinent to tennis players.

1. Qualified athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport will be entered as, and compete as, Individual Neutral Athletes (“AINs”).
2. Teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport will not be considered.
3. Athletes who actively support the war will not be eligible to be entered or to compete.

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