Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be allowed to participate as neutrals, the International Olympic Committee has confirmed.

The conditions of their inclusion include competing without flags, emblems or anthems of their country.

Athletes from those nations were banned following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukraine has threatened to boycott the Games if the ban was not upheld.

The decision comes after Olympic sports federations asked the IOC to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals in Paris earlier this week.

“The executive board of the IOC has decided that individual neutral athletes (AINs) who have qualified through the existing qualification systems of the International Federations on the field of play will be declared eligible to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in accordance with the conditions outlined,” the Olympic body said on Friday.

More to follow.