Since the invasion of Ukraine, athletes from Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from many sport events across the world. With just one year until the start of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, it is not likely that Russian and Belarus athletes will be able to participate in the upcoming summer Olympics.

This week, the International Olympic Committee announced that Russia and Belarus are not on the list of 203 countries invited to participate in the summer games.

There is a chance that athletes from those countries might still be allowed to participate under a neutral flag. However, the IOC said that decision would be made at a later date.

The Paris Olympics is scheduled to begin July 26, 2024, and run through Aug. 11.

“The mission of the Olympic Games is to unite the entire world in peaceful competition. In our fragile world, with conflicts, divisions and wars rising, we need this unifying power more than ever,” said IOC President Thomas Bach

While the ban of these athletes from international sports has mostly remained in effect since the invasion of Ukraine, more recently the competitive world has seen the bans lightened up. At Wimbledon this year, Russian and Belarusian players were allowed to participate this year after a ban in 2022.