The IOC announced Thursday that invitations to 203 National Olympic Committees for the 2024 Paris Games would be sent out on July 26. However, neither Russia nor Belarus are currently on the list.

The IOC stated that its current guidelines for international federations and the planners of international sporting events regarding the participation of athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports in international competitions “do not concern the participation of athletes and their support personnel with a Russian or Belarusian passport at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 or the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.”

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“The IOC will take this decision at the appropriate time, at its full discretion, and without being bound by the results of previous Olympic qualification competitions.

“The invitations to the 203 eligible NOCs will be sent on 26 July 2023. For the reasons given, this will exclude the NOCs of Russia and Belarus, plus the NOC of Guatemala, which is currently suspended.”

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February of last year, athletes from Russia and Belarus have been subject to penalties from many different sports.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suggested allowing athletes from Russia and Moscow ally Belarus to compete as individual neutrals in international competitions as Moscow’s attack on Ukraine enters its second year.

Ukrainian athletes have boycotted them because of their presence, and the argument for and against their readmission has remained contentious.

Less than a year before the Paris Olympics, there is disagreement among the international federations about the matter.