Last week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the Russian Olympic Committee's (ROC) membership.

This was done after the latter recognised Russian Olympic councils from the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. 

Despite this, the IOC stated that the suspension does not impact the two countries' potential to compete as neutrals in the French capital next year.

Currently, Russian and Belarusian teams are banned from international competition but individual athletes are able to participate as long as they are against the war in Ukraine and not affiliated with the military.

"If they get there at all, they will not be able to compete under the Russian flag, and their uniforms will have to be neutral," Sukles said, as reported by ETV.

"I'm not sure that any Russian or a Belarusian athlete will get there at all, because let's also remind ourselves that the Russian media have already begun creating the paradigm according to which, [they] will not accept these humiliating conditions that require [them] to go to the Olympics without a uniform, without a flag and without an anthem.

"A position is already being established whereby the Russians can say 'we will not come at all'".

The IOC initiated the most recent sanction as it was a breach of the Olympic Charter.

For Sukles, he predicts further action to be taken by the IOC as the war shows no sign of slowing down. 

"The most tangible outcome is that the IOC will suspend all projects related to the ROC," Sukles said.

"After the beginning of the war they already stopped all the money, but now they have been de jure told that they cannot use the name Russian Olympic Committee and they cannot use the Olympic rings.

"This is more of an emotional or value-based signal that we do not accept what the Russians have done in Ukraine."