The International Olympic Committee (IOC) invited 22 Russian and 17 Belarussian athletes to compete as neutrals at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, despite the fact that several had already opted not to participate.
A second list of names authorized to compete in the July 26-August 11 extravaganza comprised tennis, shooting, and rowing athletes.
The first list, issued on June 15, was confined to four disciplines: wrestling, weightlifting, cycling, and trampoline.
This also includes the initial refusals of Russian cyclist Aleksandr Vlasov and five Belarusians.
Eighteen athletes, however, have already confirmed their participation: three cyclists, three trampoline specialists, two weightlifters, and ten wrestlers.
Two Belarusian rowers and two fencers have failed to respond.
There is comparable anticipation among the tennis players listed on Thursday, with Russians Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, presently ranked fifth and sixth respectively, yet to react.
The same is true for top women’s players such as Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the third-ranked Australian Open champion, and former world number one Victoria Azarenka.
However, Russian Tennis Federation head Shamil Tarpischev announced earlier this month that Rublev, 2021 silver medalist Karen Khachanov, and women’s 15th-ranked Liudmila Samsonova will not compete at the Olympics.
Sabalenka has also announced that she would not participate in the Paris Olympics.
“Especially with all the struggles I’ve been struggling with the last months, I feel I have to take care of my health,” Sabalenka told reporters last week.
“It’s too much for the scheduling and I made the decision to take care of my health.”
Competitors must first meet the qualifying standards of their individual federation in order to be invited to the Games as a “neutral individual athlete”.
Then they are subjected to checks for any evidence that they may have backed the war in Ukraine or had ties to their country’s military.