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March 19 (UPI) -- Athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to participate in this summer's opening ceremonies at the Paris Olympics, the International Olympic Committee announced Tuesday, as organizers bar countries "responsible for the war" in Ukraine. "The sanctions against those responsible for the war, the Russian and Belarusian states and governments, remain in place for the Olympic Games Paris 2024," the IOC said in a statement Tuesday.
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While athletes from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete in individual events as "Individual Neutral Athletes" -- or "AINs" -- teams, flags and national anthems from both countries are banned.
"AINs will not participate in the parade of delegations (teams) during the Opening Ceremony, since they are individual athletes," the IOC clarified in a statement.
The Paris 2024 opening ceremony will take place on Friday, July 26, in a parade of boats on the River Seine. No decision has been made on whether AINs will be allowed to take part in the closing ceremony.
"The decision regarding the participation of AINs in the Closing Ceremony will be taken at a later stage, taking into consideration that it is not teams that enter the Closing Ceremony, but all athletes jointly together," the IOC said.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, with Belarus' military playing a key role in supporting the war.
So far, there are 12 individual athletes with a Russian passport and seven individual athletes with a Belarusian passport who have qualified for the Paris games.
The IOC also reaffirmed its position Tuesday against the politicization of sport, quoting the Fundamental Principle of the Olympic Charter to argue Russia is in violation.
"Recognizing that sport occurs within the framework of society, sports organizations within the Olympic Movement shall apply political neutrality," the Olympic Charter states.
"The mission of the IOC is to promote Olympism throughout the world and to lead the Olympic Movement. The IOC's role is to oppose any political or commercial abuse of sport and athletes," according to the charter.
The IOC also blasted Russia for organizing its own games, scheduled for later this year.
"The Russian government intends to organize purely politically motivated sports events in Russian," the organization said Tuesday.
"Apparently, the first edition of the 'Summer Friendship Games' is planned to be held in Moscow and Ekaterinburg, Russia, in September 2024, and the 'Winter Friendship Games' in Sochi, Russia, in 2026."
"To make their purely political motivation even more obvious, they are deliberately circumventing the sports organizations in their target countries," the IOC said. "This is a blatant violation of the Olympic Charter and an infringement of the various U.N. resolutions at the same time."
