KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) will wait for the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision before making an official stand on the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) move to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

OCM secretary-general Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin Najib, who attended the OCA General Assembly in Bangkok last Saturday, said the new OCA leadership for the 2023-2027 term was expected to hold a meeting soon to further discuss this matter.

"OCA is just providing a platform for Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2022 Asian Games but everything needs to wait for the green light from IOC,” he told Bernama.

Last Saturday, OCA decided to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the 2022 Asian Games to help them in their hunt for qualification points for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

However, OCA only allows athletes from these two countries to compete under a neutral flag and they are not eligible for winners’ medals at the games, which are held once every four years.

Mohd Nazifuddin said it was his view that the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at Asiad, scheduled for September 23 to October 8, was not an issue as they would not be "stealing” from the Asian quota for the Olympics.

He said if Russian and Belarusian athletes qualify for the Olympics, they would be using Europe’s quota to compete in the world’s biggest multi-sport event.

In February 2022, IOC recommended that international sports federations bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions after Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine.

In March this year, IOC proposed that international federations allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral status in individual events only provided they are not supporters of the special military operation or associated with the military or security agencies of the country. — Bernama