No place for Russian shuttlers at Paris 2024 as Olympic qualifying kicks off

Paris Olympics (Pic: AFP)

Badminton upheld its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes in all international competitions on Thursday, days before Olympic qualifying events begin. Badminton's qualifying period for the Paris Olympics kicks off on May 1 and uses a calendar-year ranking. Meanwhile, modern pentathlon said it would set up a pathway for athletes from the two countries to return but didn't commit to a date.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) cited security concerns and the need for more clarity on the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) complex criteria to admit some Russians and Belarusians as neutral athletes with no national symbols but keep excluding others, such as military personnel or those who have supported the invasion of Ukraine.

The IOC also recommends allowing athletes from only Russia and Belarus to compete individually and not in team sports or ¿team events in individual sports. That raises the prospect in badminton of players being allowed to play singles but not doubles as a national team, a point the BWF did not address directly in its statement on Thursday.

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Modern pentathlon's governing body, known as the UIPM, said it would follow the IOC's recommendations but didn't set any timetable. There will be an independent panel set up to decide when and how all the Russians and Belarusians are readmitted, the governing body said. It is our firm belief that sport should be politically neutral and now, more than ever, must act as a vehicle for peace and a symbol of solidarity between athletes, the UIPM explained.

Other Olympic sports which have followed the IOC and said they want to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete as neutral athletes include wrestling, taekwondo and triathlon. Athletics, weightlifting and equestrian have all maintained bans.

(With AP inputs)