The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Russian and Belarusian players could participate in the Paris Games as neutral athletes, without a flag, emblem or anthem.
Russians and Belarusians have been banned from international competition following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Last March, the IOC published a series of recommendations for international sports federations to allow the conditional return of athletes from these countries.
Speaking ahead of his debut at Indian Wells on Friday, Russia’s Medvedev said he was looking forward to the Olympics after a positive experience in Tokyo three years ago, when he reached the quarter-finals of the singles competition.
“If I can, I’ll be there. I will play singles and doubles,” Medvedev said. “When I was in Tokyo, I had an extraordinary experience. It’s probably one of the greatest memories of my sporting life, which surprised me because in tennis we tend to think that Grand Slam tournaments are more important.”
“As for the neutral flag, I will follow the rules. If it’s under a neutral flag, I’ll play under a neutral flag and try to compete, show good tennis and try to win, that’s for sure.”
Russians and Belarusians already play on the ATP and WTA circuits as neutral athletes.
The Olympic tennis tournament will begin on July 27 at Roland-Garros.
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