LAUSANNE, Switzerland – Russian tennis players Karen Kachanov and Liudmila Samsonova refused to play at the Paris Olympics, the IOC said on Friday, and their next highest-ranked compatriots were invited.
The IOC said Pavel Kotov, the 50th-ranked men’s player, and 17th-ranked Anna Kalinskaia have been invited to join Russia’s eight-person tennis team in Paris. Players compete as neutrals during the military invasion of Ukraine.
The tournament will be at Roland Garros, from July 27 to August. 4.
The top two Russian players, No. 5 Daniil Medvedev and No. 6 Andrey Rublev, neither confirmed nor declined their invitations in the International Olympic Committee’s updated list on Friday. Rublev will not go to Paris for health reasons.
Olympic invitations have been accepted by Roman Safiullin and Ekaterina Aleksandrova, the IOC said.
Olympic sports governing bodies and the IOC are evaluating individual athletes from Russia and its military ally Belarus to compete with neutral status in Paris.
Athletes are being blocked if they express support for the Russian invasion or have ties to sports clubs linked to the military or state security services.
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