On Friday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that the Russian and Belarusian athletes will be eligible to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
In its statement, the IOC clarified that the said athletes must meet certain conditions for their inclusion, one of which is to bear neutral status regarding their nationality. Contrary to reports that the decision would be made early next year, the timing has surprised many onlookers.
However, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the principal governing body vested with the mandate of maintaining and enforcing the rules of international team competitions in tennis, has stipulated the eligibility requirements in its Olympics handbook that could throw a spanner in the works.
According to ITF rules, Russian and Belarusian tennis players are ineligible to play at the showpiece event in Paris because they can't represent their country.
"The player must be eligible to represent the country of the National Association and National Olympic Committee that nominates the player by satisfying the Eligibility to Represent a Nation rule contained in the ITF Davis Cup Regulations and the ITF Billie Jean King Cup Regulations in force at the time of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games."
Additionally, the IOC's eligibility criteria align with the ITF's, which now casts doubt on Russian and Belarusian tennis players looking to play in the tournament. Some of the world's top tennis stars come from those countries, including Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka, and Victoria Azarenka.
Several other Russian and Belarusian players have met the qualifying ranking criteria to play at the Olympics (although the actual ranking of June 12, 2024, will be used).
But if they compete as neutral athletes, it poses the question of what kind of criterion will be used to determine which players qualify, considering 56 will enter based on ranking and affiliated to a country.
"Only those athletes who respect and comply with the Olympic Charter, the World Anti-Doping Code, and the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of Manipulation of Competitions, including the conditions of participation established by the IOC, plus the rules of the ITF, may participate in the Olympic Games Paris 2024."
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