A spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told AFP that this updated list, which includes ten sports from cycling to swimming and tennis, is subject to change if athletes withdraw, with the Ukrainian Olympic Committee (UOC) and the Ministry of Sport of Ukraine previously issuing a list of recommendations to its Olympic athletes on how to behave in the presence of athletes from the two nations.

So far, the IOC has recorded 19 refusals from Russian athletes, some of whom changed their minds, and seven refusals from Belarusian athletes, including top-ranked women’s tennis players Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka, who are ranked third and sixteenth in the world, respectively.

The four Russian judokas who were invited declined collectively, as did the wrestlers, even though Shamil Mamedov is still listed as attending Paris. This collective refusal followed a Saturday protest by their federations against the “non-sporting principle of selection.”

Russian gymnasts had previously announced their intention not to attend, and track and field athletes are all banned by World Athletics. Additionally, the IOC has barred the two countries from participating in any team events.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, athletes from Russia and Belarus have been banned from international sports. However, the IOC has facilitated their gradual return under neutral terms, provided strict conditions are met. 

To qualify for the Games, "neutral individual athletes" had to pass a two-tiered approval process, first by international sports federations and then by the IOC, to confirm they had not actively supported the war in Ukraine or had any links to their countries' military forces.

In March, the IOC projected that 36 Russians and 22 Belarusians would participate in Paris “under the most likely scenario,” compared to 330 Russians and 104 Belarusians at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

At the Paris Games, there will be three Russians and one Belarusian in cycling, one from each country in trampolining and taekwondo, two Belarusians each in weightlifting, shooting, and rowing, Mamedov in wrestling, seven Russians including Wimbledon semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev in tennis, three Russians and one Belarusian in canoeing, and one Russian and four Belarusians in swimming.

These athletes will compete under a green flag with the letters "AIN" and will be subject to a wordless anthem for any gold medal victories. They will not participate in the opening ceremony parade on the River Seine and will not be included in the medals table.