The World Aquatics president has spoken out and said the 'whole Olympic family will decide' whether Russian and Belarusian athletes should compete at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
Following their invasion of Ukraine in February, the IOC board recommended banning Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from participation in international competitions, including the Olympics.
However, French president Emmanuel Macron, seems against this ban and said last week that sport 'should not be politicised'. His views were supported by the IOC President Thomas Bach who added that athletes should be able to compete on 'sporting merit' and respect the rules of sport.
World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam said that the sanctions would continue in his sport.
"There is no decision in relation to the participation of Russian athletes at this moment," Al-Musallam told members of World Aquatics' Extraordinary General Congress as reported by Inside the Games.
"There is a study as per the United Nations’ resolution that sport should be neutral and must be governed by the sports people.
"[In terms of the] participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes for the next Olympic Games, the whole Olympic family will decide about it but is not yet taking at this moment."
During last week's summit the IOC said participants at the meeting had ‘explored different ways as to how to overcome the extremely grave dilemma’ of the current ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus.
"Specifically mentioning the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, he [Macron] underlined that such major events are meant to allow athletes from all countries, sometimes including countries at war, to live their sport," Bach added.
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"We cannot allow Governments to decide on political grounds who can participate. This would put the international sports model at risk, and we will never accept that. The question of the participation of athletes is very different from the question of sanctions for their Government.
However, the prospect of the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes being lifted was a 'sickening' blow to Ukraine ’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba who wrote a statement on Twitter.
“Since February, Russia has killed 184 Ukrainian athletes,” he said. “And now Mr. Bach is quoting Emmanuel Macron as allegedly saying ‘sports should not be politicised’ and athletes from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus should be treated equally. Using sports to whitewash war crimes is sickening.”
