Russian and Belarusian athletes are not yet sure of being able to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said sporting sanctions against the nations must remain in place.
The two nations have been excluded from world sport in varying guises since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February, with both banned from March's Winter Paralympics.
Athletes were allowed to compete under a neutral flag then, and Bach says he does not wish for them to suffer as a result of sanctions against the pair.
But Bach stressed those penalties cannot be relaxed amid the continued conflict in Eastern Europe.
"The sanctions against the Russian and Belarusian state and government must firmly remain in place," he said at the IOC's executive board meeting in Lausanne.
"These sanctions were imposed because of the breach of the Olympic truce, which means also a breach of the Olympic charter."
Bach conceded, however, the IOC did not wish for athletes representing both nations to be barred from competing entirely in France.
"I will never get tired enough to repeat, to make it clear all over again, that this question of the participation of athletes is very different to the question of sanctions for their government," he added.
"The position of the Olympic Movement was always, is and remains, that athletes cannot be punished for acts of their government as long as they do not contribute to it or support it.
"Therefore the question of athletes participation was always a protective measure, and not part of the sanction, to safeguard the integrity of international sports competition and to ensure safety of athletes from these two countries."
Biles ends Paris Olympics with floor silver after falling off beam
Simone Biles capped her trip to the 2024 Olympic Games with a silver medal in Monday's floor final, having earlier missed out on the podium in the balance beam event.
Rebeca Andrade edged out the Team USA star to win her first gold of the Paris Games, having earlier claimed silver in the all-around and vault events and helped Brazil take bronze in the team event.
Biles' compatriot Jordan Chiles took bronze following a successful appeal to her score, bumping Romania's Ana Barbosu down to fourth.
Biles had earlier finished outside the medal places for the first time at the 2024 Games in the beam event, a fall costing her as Italy's Alice d'Amato took gold.
Having earlier won gold in the team, all-around and vault events, Biles placed fifth after falling off the beam at the end of Monday's final.
Biles appeared to express frustration with the crowd after her routine, holding her finger to her ear to question why most of those present had been silent.
Biles' overall medal haul at the Games now stands at 11 – seven gold, two silver and two bronze.
Larisa Latynina, who won 18 medals for the Soviet Union, is the most successful female gymnast in Olympic history.
Ngamba makes Olympics history as IOC refugee team set for first medal
Cindy Ngamba etched her name in history after guaranteeing a first medal for the Refugee Olympic Team in Paris.
The Britain-based boxer overcame French hope Davina Michel by a unanimous points decision to reach the 75kg semi-finals on Sunday.
With no third-place bouts at the Games, Ngamba is set for at least a bronze medal even if she loses to Panama's Atheyna Bylon on Thursday.
Having led the Refugee Team as the flagbearer at the opening ceremony just over a week ago, Ngamba secured another piece of history here – though the Cameroon-born fighter is intent on not finishing just yet.
"It means the world to me, to be the first ever refugee to win a medal," Ngamba said.
"I'm just a human, just like any other refugee, athlete and refugee all around the world. But I hope I can change the medal in my next fight.
"I was fighting a very tough opponent today. A lot of people were not cheering for me. But I listened to my team, I listened to my coaches and I listened to myself.
"I stuck to the tactics and I stayed calm and composed. I'm happy that I got the job done. Hopefully, in the next one, I will also get the job done. No, not hopefully. I will get it done."
Ngamba became the first refugee athlete to make the Olympics boxing tournament in May, and the first in any sport to earn a place in the Games by qualification rather than selection.
The 25-year-old was born in Cameroon but moved to England in 2009, though is unable to return to her homeland because she is homosexual, which remains a criminal offence in the country.
Team GB have supported her citizenship application but to no avail, leading Ngamba to represent the International Olympic Committee's refugee team in the French capital.
Wightman expects big things at Paris Olympics amid Team GB 'golden era'
Jake Wightman believes Team GB athletics are enjoying a 'golden era' and could record one of their best medal hauls at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Wightman won 1,500m gold at the 2022 World Championships, the first global gold won by a Brit in a middle-distance event since Sebastian Coe's 1,500m gold at the 1984 Olympics.
The Scot has been tipped to compete for a medal in the French capital, having also taken bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and silver at the European Championships that same year.
With Team GB looking to better their total of five athletics medals from the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games, Wightman thinks an impressive haul could be on the cards.
"I think collectively it should be one of the best games we could have in athletics. I think it's a bit of a golden era at the moment," he told Stats Perform.
"A lot of people are shaping up to give the best performance they'll ever have. Sadly, the state of global athletics is that it's probably in a bit of a golden era as well.
"Every event has some pretty tough competitors to beat, but if you look at all the British athletes that could medal, then you could end up with a huge tally, not just of medals, but of golds."
Wightman finished 10th in the 1,500m final in Tokyo three years ago, when crowds were limited to fellow athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He is excited to soak up a different type of atmosphere this time around, adding: "The fact that the last one was Tokyo meant people were going to be watching it in the early hours, so it probably didn't get the reach from home that it could have.
"Whereas this one, an hour's difference, there's no excuse for the British population to get behind it and to support our athletes.
"Personally, it's a chance for me to go out there and try and see what I can do. Once you get to a final, who knows what you could do from there. So for me, it's just taking it each day at a time."
Wightman's father Geoff was also an endurance runner, representing England at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.
Having moved into television since his retirement, he was also on commentary duties when his son triumphed at the World Championships, a moment Wightman remembers fondly.
"It's pretty unique within sport that your dad is the one that's commentating. He's done it for a very long time," he said.
"For me to win a global title with him on the mic was probably the dream scenario for him. It was a special moment."
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