Overview of the Olympic swimming participants and neutral athlete status
Evgeny Somov, a Russian swimmer, secured the 13th position in the 100-meter breaststroke event during the Olympic tournament, advancing to the semifinals. Somov stands as Russia’s only aquatics competitor at these Games, focusing exclusively on the 100m breaststroke. In this iteration, Russian swimmers are not taking part in other disciplines and are represented solely by Somov in this specialty.
Belarusian swimmer Ilya Shimanovich also reached the semi finals in his event, marking a consistent performance for his country as he advances through the rounds for the third time in this competition.
In late February 2022, the International Olympic Committee issued guidance to international sports federations urging that Russian and Belarusian athletes be restricted from participation in competitions. By the end of 2023, the IOC signaled that Russians and Belarusians would be eligible to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games only as neutral athletes, provided they met strict conditions and qualified under these terms. This neutral status was designed to separate athlete participation from national affiliations while maintaining competitive participation at the Games.
The Olympic Games are scheduled to run from July 26 to August 11, presenting a broad program for athletes across many sports. This timeline sets the stage for the track of events and the path athletes follow to reach finals and podium finishes during the Summer Games.
On July 18, the IOC released a comprehensive list confirming that a number of Russian athletes would participate in the 2024 Olympic Games under neutral status. A total of 15 athletes were approved to compete with this designation, reflecting the ongoing adjustments in policy and qualification criteria that accompany the participation of neutral athletes at the Games. This decision summarized the IOC’s ongoing approach to balancing competition integrity with opportunities for athletes to perform on the Olympic stage while not representing their national teams directly.
Earlier in the cycle, Somov had already demonstrated credentials by presenting Olympic accreditation as a neutral athlete. This history of neutrality has influenced the framing of his participation and the broader participation policy for Russian competitors at recent Games. The evolving landscape highlights how athletes can compete at the Olympics under neutral terms when eligibility criteria are met and the political and organizational context allows for such participation.