On paper, Russian athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics might look a lot like Russian athletes at previous Olympics. Some will be in Paris this summer; they have not been outright barred from the Games. In fact, when the International Olympic Committee decided last year to relax its ban on Russian participation, the move was criticized by many Westerners as further evidence of the cozy relationship between Russia and the IOC.
In reality, though, that relationship has fractured.
Only a few dozen Russians have been invited to compete at the 2024 Olympics as “Individual Neutral Athletes”; and some have declined.