MOSCOW, 18 Mar – The Forum of Athletes of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) at a meeting in Bangkok (Thailand) supported the admission of Russians and Belarusians to international competitions, the press service of the organization reported.

At the end of February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), due to the situation in Ukraine, recommended that international sports federations prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in competitions as protective measures. In December, the final declaration of the Olympic summit in Lausanne, Switzerland, spoke of universal support for the initiative of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to review these protective measures.

The OCA statement says that Russian and Belarusian athletes must return to international competitions, but subject to clear conditions: the absence of officials at tournaments, the neutral status of athletes (without a flag or national symbols), full compliance with anti-doping rules.