Russians and Belarusians will participate in the Paris Olympics as neutrals, the ITF confirms

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) confirmed on Wednesday that Russian and Belarusian tennis players will be allowed to compete as neutrals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

According to the ITF, players from Russia and Belarus will be able to compete in singles and doubles in an 'individual and neutral capacity'.

Athletes must meet the selection and eligibility requirements, as well as adhere to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regulations.

"The ITF decision aligns with the majority of International Federations (IFs) regarding individual competition and athletes participating in the Paris 2024 Games this summer," said the tennis world governing body in a statement.

"We wanted to ensure all tennis players are treated fairly and consistently, regardless of what discipline they compete in," an ITF spokesperson said.

"The existing international tennis policy in place since March 2022 allows Russian and Belarusian athletes to enter Singles and Doubles as individual neutral athletes."

"Doubles pairs are allocated their place based on their individual performance on the tours (measured by ranking), and not that of their nation."

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Belarus serving as a staging ground, Russians and Belarusians were barred from competing internationally.

However, in March of last year, the International Olympic Committee issued a set of recommendations to international sports federations to allow competitors from these countries to return.

Neutral athletes will compete without flags, emblems, or anthems. Athletes who actively support the war in Ukraine are ineligible, as are those who work for the Russian or Belarusian militaries.

Tennis players are already competing as neutrals on the ATP and WTA tours.

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