Will Russian athletes be barred from competing at the 2024 Olympics?

After the Russian's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has been subject to a large amount of international pressure. That pressure has taken many different forms; sanctions, boycotts, protests, oil and gas embargoes, corporate divestment, and more. Many individuals, corporations, and countries have taking action to show international solidarity with Ukraine.

In the sporting world, Russia has been banned from a number of recent international events. On Feb 28th 2022, four days after Russia invaded, FIFA made an unprecedented decision to ban Russian clubs and the national team from all competitions including the World Cup.

Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both Presidents [FIFA and UEFA] hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people.

In 2023, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has reiterated their position several times [1][2] that Russian and Belarusian athletes can only compete as Individual Neutral Athletes.

Despite IOC recommendations Poland banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2023 European Games. In Paris, the 2024 Olympic host city, event organizers cancelled a World Cup fencing event after the FIE (International Fencing Federation) decision to allow Russian athletes to resume competing one year after the invasion of Ukraine.

Looking back at previous Olympics, Russia's Track and Field team was barred from the 2016 Olympics over a decade long doping scandal. 68 Athletes filled appeals that were ultimately dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, though some Russian athletes were able to compete as 'Authorized Neutral Athletes'. At the 2016 Paralympics the entire Russian Paralympic team was banned over the same doping scandal.