During the Olympic summit in Lausanne, the representatives of the athletes also asked for "clarity" on the issue, according to a statement released after the meeting.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) still has to make a final ruling on whether athletes from Russia and Belarus, a key ally for Moscow in its offensive on Ukraine, will be permitted to compete next summer.

A decision will be made "at the appropriate time", the IOC reiterated.

Athletes from both countries have been sanctioned in numerous sports since Russia's attack on Ukraine in February.

However, a number of Olympic sports have seen restrictions eased over the past year, allowing them to return to competition under certain conditions.

In March, the IOC lifted a total ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, allowing them to compete as neutral athletes, provided they did not support the conflict in Ukraine and were not linked to the military.

The IOC on Tuesday "confirmed that the participation of such INAs (individual neutral athletes) in the Olympic Games could happen only under the existing strict conditions".

"Neither the qualification system developed by the respective International Federations nor the number of allocated quota places to a sport will be changed for INAs with a Russian or Belarusian passport," it added.

The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) on October 12 for violating the territorial integrity of the membership of Ukraine by recognising illegally annexed territories.

ROC has recognised regional organisations from four Ukrainian territories annexed since Russia's invasion began in 2022.

Russia's Olympic body last month launched an appeal against its suspension by the IOC at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

In September, officials voted to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at next year's Paralympics under a neutral flag after deciding against an outright ban.