The International Olympic Committee announced on Saturday that the first group of Russian and Belarusian athletes had been cleared to compete in next month's Olympic Games in Paris with 25 athletes. However, due to the war in Ukraine, other athletes did not pass the IOC inspection.

The IOC said athletes from Russia and Belarus must compete in some sports, such as cycling and trampoline, but in other sports, such as taekwondo, no qualified athlete from another country met the eligibility criteria after being screened for a place . A total of 25 athletes from Russia and Belarus received permission for 41 quotas, and the remaining athletes will be distributed among other countries. In total, Russia released 14 athletes to 24th place, and Belarus passed 11 athletes to 17th place.

The IOC said the commission received new information from various sources, including official lists of athletes associated with sports clubs of the military and security forces, which were published on the official websites of Russia and Belarus. The IOC initially recommended that athletes from Russia and Belarus be banned from international competition following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but later allowed them to qualify as neutrals for the Paris Olympics. Each qualified athlete must be vetted by a three-member panel appointed by the IOC to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria. These criteria include the absence of active support for the war in Ukraine and the absence of a contract with a military or law enforcement agency.

The IOC said it expects to see approximately 36 Russian and 22 Belarusian athletes competing as neutrals in Paris. Depending on the country's qualification standards and quotas, the maximum number, which is unlikely to be reached, will be 54 and 28. Many IOC members predict that Russia will appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.