Russian and Belarusian athletes have been given a green signal to compete at the Asian Games 2023. The decision was announced at the Olympic Council of Asia General Assembly in Saturday, 8th July. With this, over 500 athletes from both the nations will participate in the continental event, which would help them qualify for next year’s Olympics in Paris.
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The participation of the Russian and Belarusian players however comes with certain conditions. They will be playing only under a neutral flags. Athletes from both the nations will also not be eligible for medals. The Asian Games will be held in Huangzhu, China from September 23 to October 8.
Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from international competitions over the last one year due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The prospect of the athletes from both the nations competing at the Asian Games, first emerged in January. International Olympic Committee (IOC) then revealed that it wanted them to be allowed to compete at Paris 2024. Now a decison has been taken by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to let them compete at the Asian Games which would act as the qualification system for these athletes for Paris.
The IOC had earlier urged Olympic sports bodies in March to evaluate Russians and Belarusians for neutral status to compete. It further added that only the athletes who have not actively supported the war on Ukraine, nor have been contracted to military or state security agencies since February 2022 should be allowed to compete.
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