2024 Paris Olympics: Daniil Medvedev, Ekaterina Aleksandrova, Victoria Azarenka to compete as neutral athletes

Tennis players Daniil Medvedev, Ekaterina Aleksandrova, Victoria Azarenka, gymnast Ivan Litvinovich are among the 31 athletes from Russia and Belarus who have accepted invitations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete as neutral athletes at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.

The neutral athletes will compete without a flag or a national anthem.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus are barred from taking part in the 2024 Paris Olympics under their country’s flag. The decision comes after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

However, Tokyo Olympics gold medallist in doubles tennis Andrey Rublev, Darya Kasatkina, Karen Khachanov and Anna Kalinskaya are among the 12 Russians and Belarusians who have rejected the IOC’s invitation to compete as neutral athletes.

The IOC published an updated list of athletes who would compete as neutral athletes at the upcoming Games. Athletes who have been given invitations to compete and have been accepted are vetted by an expert panel, under the IOC, to ensure they have no connection to the Russian or Belarusian military.

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka has not yet accepted or declined the invitation to play as a neutral athlete. Sabalenka, who is ranked third in the world, is not playing the ongoing Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury and it is unclear if she would be fit in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Russian Tennis Federation chief Shamil Tarpishchev confirmed that Rublev would not be competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics due to health reasons and not due to the IOC’s stance of having to play as a neutral athlete.

Gymnast Litvinovich, who won gold for Belarus in the trampoline at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Russian canoeist Alexey Korovashkov, a bronze medallist in the 2012 London Olympics, are among the athletes who have accepted the IOC’s invitations.

hThe Paris Olympics commence on July 26 and will go on until August 11. The tennis action begins at Roland Garros on July 27. The gold medal matches will be played on August 4.