Olympic Rings are pictured in front of The Olympic House, headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in Lausanne, Switzerland. Photo: VCG

The Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) said Friday it upholds the principle of political neutrality in sports, echoing the initiatives and decisions both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) have made considering giving the green light to individual athletes from Russia and Belarus in international sport events.

A spokesperson of the COC noted that athletes from all over the world should enjoy equal rights to participate in international competitions, meanwhile opposing the politicization of sports.

Though many international sports organizations and events have banned athletes from the two countries from participating since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022, the recent initiatives of the IOC of OCA will create opportunities for them to participate in the Hangzhou Asian Games in September this year.

In an interview with the Xinhua News Agency, a COC spokesperson noted that whether the athletes from Russia and Belarus participate or not should be determined according to their competitive performance, but not interference from political and war factors.

"The Chinese Olympic Committee will actively respond to and support the initiatives and decisions of the IOC and OCA, and is ready to build platforms for all the athletes, including athletes from Russia and Belarus under such conditions, so as to jointly defend the Olympic values and the unity of the Olympic family," said the COC spokesperson.

In an earlier statement from IOC on Wednesday, the organization announced that "the athletes would participate in competitions as 'neutral athletes,'" but "in no way represent their state or any other organization in their country."

The OCA joins the IOC's Executive Board's statement the next day, saying that it would give "eligible Russian and Belarusian athletes the opportunity to take part in competitions in Asia, including the Asian Games."

In response to the statements, the COC noted that it "appreciated the IOC for its adherence to the principle of political neutrality, athlete-centered approach and efforts to guarantee the interests of every athlete amid difficulties and challenges."

Yet the COC added that specific plans regarding the participation of such athletes in the upcoming Games are still under discussion.

Although the participation measures are yet to be specified, "the series of statements shows China's rejection of the politicization of sports," a Beijing-based sport commentator who declined to be named told the Global Times on Saturday.

"However, the decision from IOC cannot determine whether Russian and Belarusian athletes will be able to compete in the future Olympics Games in Paris 2024."

As sanctions including no flag, anthem, colors or any other identifications of these countries being displayed at any sports event are still in place, IOC has been seeking ways to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to the international  stage.

In December 2022, IOC president Thomas Bach said at the IOC's executive board meeting in Lausanne that athletes cannot be punished for acts of their government "as long as they do not contribute to it or support it."