The International Cycling Union (UCI) ruled in May that only Russian and Belarusian cyclists that had not openly expressed support for the war in Ukraine and were not affiliated with the military would be considered for readmission as neutrals.

A total of 18 riders from Russia had been cleared by the governing body to compete under a neutral banner, making them eligible to feature at next month's UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow - where all disciplines will be held together in the same place for the first time.

The event, scheduled to be held from August 3 to 13 in Scotland's biggest city and across the country, is set count towards qualification points for Paris 2024.

Russian national cycling team head coach Sergey Kovpanets revealed that riders from his country would not be in Scotland after being asked to sign "certain declarations".

"We were allowed admission in a neutral status, but this was when filling out certain declarations," Koypanets told Russia’s official state news agency TASS.

"We didn’t even consider it.

"To compete at the Olympic Games, you need to have an appropriate rating, the World Championship in Glasgow was the most important start in this regard, it will determine who gets to the Games.

"There will be no additional selection systems for us - there is a certain number of participants, a quota, that will be allowed to compete.

"We simply won’t score the points necessary to get to the Olympics."

Yuri Kucheryavy, director general of the Russian Cycling Federation, also claimed that his cyclists had been told that they could only compete in major tournaments if they put pen to paper on a document opposing what Russia calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 62,000 have been killed and 17 million people displaced.

"Naturally, they sent us such a declaration that we condemn the SVO [special military operation]," Kucheryavy told TASS.

"As for my personal position, I am against such a departure, but there are people who are not on the lists of the national team, they will show up and go.

"They have nothing to do with us in general, neither to the subject, nor to the Russian team.

"I know that some do this, some girl and dad got involved, we heard about them.

"But this is all politics.

"As long as someone comes, there is PR around [saying] 'The Russians have arrived'."

"But I am against such trips.

"Do you need to sign a declaration condemning the SVO only to participate in the World Championship? World Championship, World Cup, European Championship.

"That is, for the main tournaments."

Ivan Smirnov and Gleb Syritsa, part of Russia’s European Games gold medal-winning team pursuit at Minsk 2019, were among Russian cyclists that had been permitted to ride as neutrals.

Others included European bronze medallists Tamara Dronova and Vlas Shichkin.

insidethegames has contacted the UCI for comment.