Towards a deal mediated by the International Olympic Committee, Russia and its ally Belarus were invited to compete at the Asian Games on Thursday as the next stage in qualifying teams for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. On Wednesday, the IOC made it clear that it supports allowing Russian athletes to compete as neutral athletes at the 2024 Olympics. Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus have been excluded from practically all international Olympic competitions. The Asian Games, which will take place in Hangzhou, China, in September and October, will serve as Olympic qualifying events for a number of sports, including boxing and archery. Other sports hold their own regional qualifying tournaments for Asia.