As during the games in Paris, participation is conditional. No Russian or Belarusian teams are allowed to participate, and for individual athletes, it applies that one must compete under a neutral flag and with requirements for "neutrality".
It is also up to the individual sports' international associations to decide whether they want to allow participants from Russia and Belarus or not.
After Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, with the support of Belarus, both countries were banned from the majority of all sports in the world. However, in recent times, several sports associations have relaxed the rules.
Two associations with Olympic Games status that have now opened up for Russian and Belarusian athletes are the International Skating Union (figure skating, speed skating, short track) and the International Association for Ski Mountaineering.
In the Olympic Games in Paris, just over 30 "neutral" Russian and Belarusian athletes participated.
