“You can see neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus in Paris, but not in athletics,” said Coe at a press conference after the meeting of the World Athletics Council in Monaco.

“The position taken and consistently maintained by our sport remains unchanged. This stance, adopted by our council, approved by the board, and endorsed almost unanimously by the athletics family on two different occasions worldwide,” he explained.

Originally, World Athletics excluded athletes, coaches, and officials from Russia and Belarus who supported the invasion from events as early as March 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

On Friday, the International Olympic Committee opened the doors for Russian and Belarusian athletes, allowing them to compete in Paris under neutral flags. This does not apply to team sports. Athletes admitted cannot actively support the war in Ukraine.

However, Coe stated that the decision of the IOC “indicates the primacy of international federations” in making their own assessments.

“I believe it is right that international federations should make decisions that they believe are in the best interest of their sport. And that’s exactly what our council did. Our decision is final. We have stated that there will be no neutral athletes in Paris,” Coe said.