IOC presents advice to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes return

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has issued recommendations for the gradual return to international competitions for Russian and Belarusian athletes. The IOC Executive Board's recommendations concern only the return of those athletes to international competitions but not the 2024 Olympics where a separate decision will be taken later, IOC President Thomas Bach said on Tuesday. “Sports organisations must have the sole responsibility to decide which athletes can take part in international competitions based on their sporting merits and not on political grounds or because of their passports,” Bach told reporters after the meeting. +Switzerland wants Russians and Belarusians excluded from sports federations The IOC had sanctioned Russia and Belarus after the February 2022 invasion, but it now wants to see athletes come back across all sports and have a chance to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics. It has set out a pathway for these competitors to earn Olympic slots...