The International Olympic Committee on Monday recommended that athletes from Russia and Belarus be blocked from competitions around the world, linking the isolation of individuals and teams from each country to their governments’ roles in the invasion of Ukraine.
The I.O.C.’s recommendation is not an outright ban: It included exceptions that could see Russian and Belarusian athletes continue to compete internationally, and left the decision on whether to bar athletes from the two countries to governing bodies and the organizers of events, a category broad enough to include everything from individual tennis tournaments or soccer’s World Cup.
And despite the recommendation, the rules and logistics of international sports left open the possibility that Belarusian and Russian athletes will compete in the Paralympic Games that will open this week in Beijing.