Which countries are banned from taking part in the 2024 Olympic Games and why?

For the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, “the territories of 206 National Olympic Committees” (i.e. 206 countries) are taking part, along with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Refugee Olympic Team. However, two countries will not be officially represented due to being banned.

The nations in question are Russia and Belarus, neither of whom will feature on the medal table in 2024.

The reason Russian and Belraus are suspended from the 2024 Olympic Games

The Olympic Committees of both countries were suspended by the IOC after being judged to have violated the Olympic Truce, which is designed to “protect, as far as possible, the interests of the athletes and sport in general, and to harness the power of sport to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation more broadly.”

Russia’s ban is due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, while Belarus has been similarly sanctioned for its role in providing a base for Russian military operations, as well as a supplier of military hardware, munitions, and military components to Russia.

Can Russian and Belarusian athletes compete in the 2024 Olympics?

While Russian and Belarusian teams are not allowed to take part, athletes with Russian and Belarussian passports are allowed to participate in individual sports as neutral athletes, if they meet “strict eligibility conditions”.

They will officially be named Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs).

There are expected to be 32 AINs (15 Russians and 32 Belarusians) taking part, the most high-profile of whom is world No. 5 in tennis, Daniil Medvedev, who will feature in both the men’s singles and doubles events.