Russia and Belarus Excluded from Hangzhou Asian Games - Latest News and Updates

2023-09-03 22:23:05

IOC: Russia and Belarus out of Hangzhou Asian Games – News – Rti Central Radio

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Time: 2023-09-04 06:23 News Citation: Interview, Agence France-Presse Writing Editor: Yang Mingjuan International Olympic Games: Russia and Belarus cannot participate in the Hangzhou Asian Games. (Picture: Official website of the International Olympic Committee)

Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be able to compete in this month’s Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) deemed the plan unfeasible, AFP reported.

Russia and Belarus have been excluded from many international events following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but individual athletes are allowed to compete under certain conditions.

The IOC said earlier this year that it should study ways for athletes from the two countries to compete in Paris in 2024, such as competing as neutral athletes.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) General Assembly in Bangkok, Thailand, voted in July to allow up to 500 athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete so they could qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

However, a spokesman for the International Olympic Committee said on the 3rd that “like the Olympic summit in December 2022, the concept of athletes holding Russian and Belarusian passports participating in the 2023 Asian Games was discussed, but due to technical reasons, it is not feasible.”

The Asian Games is one of the largest comprehensive sports events in the world, with more than 10,000 athletes from various Asian countries participating in the competition. The Hangzhou Asian Games was originally supposed to be held in September 2022, but it was postponed for one year due to the COVID-19 epidemic restrictions. It will open in Hangzhou on September 23 this year and continue until October 8.