Russia’s Olympic Committee has complained that a recommendation that would allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competition only as neutral participants was “excessive and discriminatory.” The April 30 statement was the latest back-and-forth with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after it sanctioned Russia and Belarus for Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Last month, the IOC recommended that these countries' athletes be allowed to return to international competition as neutrals. The IOC is to decide on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Paris Games at a later date. Ukraine has threatened to boycott the event if Russians are allowed to compete there. To read the original story by Reuters, click here.