The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has formally invited 203 countries to compete in the 2024 Paris Games, notably excluding Russia and Belarus from the list.
Speaking at a ceremony marking one year until the start of the 2024 Summer Games, IOC President Thomas Bach said on July 26 that the event "will be more inclusive, younger, more urban and more sustainable."
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The question of athletes from Russia and Belarus competing in the games has been debated since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Despite not getting an invitation -- Guatemala was the only other country with a national Olympic committee to not receive a place -- the possibility remains for athletes from Belarus and Russia to participate.
The IOC has previously announced that it will take its decision on the participation of individual, neutral athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport, "in line with the recommendations for International Federations and international sports event organizers on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international competitions, at the appropriate time."
Last week the International Gymnastics Federation (IGF) decided to admit Russian and Belarusian athletes to competitions under a neutral team from January 1, 2024, while earlier this month the General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia voted to allow a maximum of 500 competitors from the countries to compete so that they may seek to qualify for the Paris Games.
Ukraine has insisted that, given Russia's aggression in Ukraine and the assistance that Belarus has provided in the war effort, Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be present at international sports arenas.
Bach said more than 7 million tickets have been sold for the Paris Olympics, which will be the first ever gamess with gender parity as the IOC has allocated exactly the same number of quota places to female and male athletes.
Guatemala was excluded from the list of invitees as it is currently suspended from the Olympic movement due to alleged government interference with the independence of the country's National Olympic Committee.