IOC: Russian and Belarussian athletes won’t compete in the Asian Games

Athletes from Russia and Belarus will not participate in the Asian Games this month in China after the International Olympic Committee deemed the proposal “not feasible.”

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both nations have been banned from several sporting events, however individual athletes have been permitted to participate under specific conditions.

A road for their athletes to compete in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 should be investigated, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) earlier this year.

At a meeting in Bangkok in July, the Olympic Council of Asia’s General Assembly decided to allow a maximum of 500 participants from those nations to participate in order to help them reach Olympic qualifying requirements.

However, a representative for the IOC said on Sunday that “the concept of the participation of athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports at the Asian Games 2023 was explored as discussed at the Olympic Summit in December 2022, but it was not feasible due to technical reasons.”

Beginning on September 23 and lasting until October 8 in Hangzhou, the Asian Games.