Russia and Belarus were not invited to the 2024 Olympics

In addition, Guatemala was not allowed to participate. The IOC has denied membership of the Guatemalan Olympic Committee since October 2022 amid political conflicts in the Central American country.

However, athletes holding passports from the three countries mentioned above will still be able to participate in the Olympics as an accredited neutral athlete (ANA). The IOC introduced ANA in 2017 following the Russian doping scandal and maintains the group to this day. Over the years, Russian athletes have had to represent ANA instead of carrying the Russian flag in international sporting events.

For athletes from Russia, Belarus and Guatemala who have not joined ANA, the IOC has not announced a specific solution. This organization can consider the status of athletes in this group at an appropriate time, which is expected to be October.

More than 30 countries have urged the IOC to ban Russia and Belarus from participating in the 2024 Olympics. The Ukrainian government has announced it will boycott all tournaments with the participation of athletes from these two countries.

The IOC's decision not to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing on an independent basis has once again caused mixed reactions. The foreign ministers of the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have called on the IOC to ban athletes from Russia and Belarus of any kind. Meanwhile, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto agreed with the IOC's handling, saying that the arrival of Russian and Belarusian athletes could accelerate the peace process.