BALANCING PARTICIPATION AND PROTESTS
Coventry, who became IOC president in March, had advocated continuing the policy. “I believe that it’s best for our movement to ensure that we have all athletes represented,” she said earlier this year.
The IOC considered the limited participation of Russians and Belarusians at the Paris Games a success, allowing global representation while avoiding a boycott by Ukraine and its allies.
The size of the neutral delegation in Milan-Cortina will depend on international sports federations, which oversee qualification. Some federations continue to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from their competitions.
