Belarusian athletes banned from 2024 Winter Youth Olympics

January 4, Pozirk. Athletes from Belarus and Russia will miss out on the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics scheduled from January 19 to February 1 in South Korea’s Gangwon province.

Athletes from both countries are not allowed to compete even as neutrals, Russia’s TASS reported, citing the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Qualification for the Youth Olympics ended in December.

On December 8, the IOC announced that it would allow individual neutral athletes from Belarus and Russia to participate in the Paris Olympics this year. No Russian or Belarusian officials will be invited to or accredited, it noted.

Athletes who “actively support” the Russian war against Ukraine will not be eligible, just as athletes and support personnel who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies.

Belarus was banned from nearly all international competitions after Minsk allowed Russian troops to invade Ukraine from the country’s territory in February 2022.