(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on May 7, 2026 shows (L) the Olympic flag during a practice session at Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris on July 24, 2024, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and (R) a Belarus flag during an air show in the capital Minsk, on June 21, 2014. The IOC lifted on May 7, 2026 its restrictions on Belarusian athletes competing in the Olympics, although restrictions on Russian athletes remain in place. Competitors from Russia and Belarus had been banned from international competition following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, although some were permitted to compete as neutrals. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN and SERGEI GAPON / AFP via Getty Images)