President and IOC head discuss return of Russian athletes to world sports

President Andrzej Duda and the head of the International Olympics Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, held a video call on Wednesday to discuss the IOC's conditions for Russian and Belarusian athletes competing in international sports events.

"The discussion concerned the recommendations for world sports federations and organisers of sports events, issued in March by the International Olympic Committee, regarding the conditions for restoring Russian and Belarusian athletes in individual sports under a neutral flag," The Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland (KPRP) wrote on social media.

In March, the IOC officially allowed athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports to participate, to a limited extent, in international competitions despite the ongoing war in Ukraine. Representatives of these countries may not display national flags and colours or show active support for the hostilities, or serve in the armies of those countries. In addition, they can only compete in individual disciplines.

In February, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism and representatives of many other countries signed a statement in which they emphasised the desire to exclude Russians and Belarusians from all international sporting events.