Sports fans around the world are avidly awaiting the most anticipated sports event of them all, the Olympics. As the excitement and eagerness for these upcoming events grew, there loomed uncertainty about the participation of two particular nations. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which is yet to be resolved, led the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating. Fans and athletes from these two nations were left heartbroken after the ban.

But it does look like there is slight hope for the fans and the gymnasts of these nations. There is big news coming from the gymnastics world, which is a major update on the future of these athletes and can be a ray of hope for them as individuals.

A major update from the gymnastics governing body

As reported by Gymnastics Now, on July 19, The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) announced this week that gymnasts from Russia and Belarus can participate in the events organized by FIG. This decision by FIG comes after the IOC recommended their participation in March of this year. The athletes from these countries will compete as neutral individuals and not teams. The exact rules and requirements for this will be described in the “Ad-hoc Rules,” which will be announced in the coming weeks.

After the athletes are validated according to these FIG rules, they will be allowed to participate in the gymnastics events starting January 1, 2024. While these rules are only for FIG-sanctioned events, there is still uncertainty about whether these athletes will be permitted to compete at the Olympics. The IOC will take the final call on their Olympic participation, as they stated, “We will take this decision at the appropriate time, at its full discretion, and without being bound by the results of previous Olympic qualification competitions.”?That means there is still a decision to be made by the IOC about whether or not to allow them for the Olympics.

Update on the Olympics

On July 26, a formal invitation for the 2024 Olympics was sent to 203 National Olympic committees, but Russia and Belarus were excluded from the list. However, it doesn’t mean the gates are closed for the athletes of these countries, as this is just a formality and has no impact on their participation. Also, these two nations would not have been able to qualify for gymnastics even if the ban was lifted.

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The reason for that is that the vacant spots will be filled after the conclusion of the 2023 World Championships in September. The IOC will have to make a special exception that doesn’t fall under the regular qualification criteria. Fans and athletes will have their fingers crossed, as there are still slim chances for them and the final decision stands with the IOC.

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