Russian cyclist Alexander Vlasov has been given the green light by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete in Paris 2024 under a neutral flag. However, he will not be competing in the road cycling event. "His schedule is very busy," a senior Russian sports official said on Thursday.

Vlasov, 28, was on the list of fourteen Russian athletes approved by the IOC last Saturday to compete in the Games under a neutral flag. As is well known, the IOC suspended Russia from the 2024 Games last year, but allowed its athletes to compete as neutrals under a series of non-negotiable conditions. One of these was that none of them should actively support the Kremlin's offensive in Ukraine.

Furthermore, Vlasov has cited sporting reasons for refusing to take part in the Olympics, despite having won major races on the international calendar such as the Tour de Romandie (2022) and notable results such as fourth place in the Giro d'Italia (2021). "The profile of the Paris course does not suit him," Russian Cycling Federation president Vyacheslav Ekimov told state news agency TASS. 

Ekimov was once one of the most powerful cyclists of the 1990s, with great power in the sprints and a particular strength in the time trials. He stressed that Vlasov already had a full schedule. "And the athlete has a very busy agenda," he added.
Of the fourteen Russians on the IOC's initial list of "Neutral Individual Athletes" (NIAs) eligible to compete in Paris, more than half are wrestlers, the others trampoline gymnasts and cyclists (10 wrestlers, one gymnast and two cyclists).

Among the conditions imposed by the IOC for Paris 2024 was the obligation to qualify for the Games and to pass two tests, first by their international sports federations and then by the IOC. The purpose of these checks was to prove that there was no support from the athlete for the conflict in Ukraine and that there were no links to the military. The final list has not yet been made public and the IOC will update it as other sports complete their qualifying competitions. 

The list of athletes from Russia and Belarus who are eligible to compete at Paris 2024 is as follows:

Road Cycling

Russian passport holders eligible and invited to compete in the Games:

Tamara DRONOVA (F)

Alena IVANCHENKO (F)

Alexandr VLASOV (M)

Belarusian passport holders eligible and invited to compete in the Games:

Hanna TSERAKH (F)

Trampoline-Gymnastics

Russian passport holders eligible and invited to compete in the Games:

Anzhela BLADTCEVA (F)

Belarusian passport holders eligible and invited to compete in the Games:

Ivan LITVINOVICH (M)

Viyaleta BARDZILOUSKAYA (F)

Weightlifting

Belarusian passport holders eligible and invited to compete in the Games:

Siuzanna VALODZKA (F)

Yauheni TSIKHANTSOU (M)

Wrestling

Russian passport holders eligible and invited to compete in the Games:

Nachin MONGUSH (M)

 Shamil MAMEDOV (M)

 Arslan BAGAEV (M)

Abdulla KURBANOV (M)

Alan OSTAEV (M)

Magomed MURTAZALIEV (M)

Natalia MALYSHEVA (F)

Veronika SHUTKOVA (F)

Alina KASABIEVA (F)

Elizaveta PETLIAKOVA (F)

Belarusian passport holders eligible and invited to compete in the Games:

Yahor AKULICH (M)

Uladzislau KAZLOU (M)

Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (M)

Dzmitri ZARUBSKI (M)

Viyaleta REBIKAVA (F)

Krystsina SAZYKINA (F)