PARIS: Russian and Belarusian equestrian athletes will not be able to participate at the 2024 Paris Olympics, even as neutral athletes, the sport’s global governing body said.

Earlier this month the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the participation of Russians and Belarusians who qualify in their sport for the 2024 Olympics as neutrals without flags, emblems or anthems.

Russians and Belarusians had initially been banned from competing internationally following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, for which Belarus has been used as a staging ground.

The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) has prohibited Russian and Belarusian athletes, horses and officials from participating in its events since last year.

“According to the Olympic Qualification Systems for Equestrian, individual qualification is secured through the FEI Olympic Rankings... from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023,” the FEI said on Thursday.

“Since Russian and Belarusian athletes have not competed in FEI Events since 2 March 2022, no representatives of these nations will take part in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”

The measures prohibiting participation of athletes from the two countries remain in place going into next year, the FEI said.

“No FEI Events organised in Russia and Belarus can be entered in the FEI Calendar for 2024,” the statement added.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2023