The Netherlands Antilles was made up of five islands that formed a single autonomous country within the Netherlands but it was dissolved in October last year and the islands are now special municipalities of the Netherlands.

The dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles left the future of the athletes from the area in doubt but an IAAF Council meeting in Daegu ruled that they are eligible to compete for the either the Netherlands or Aruba at the World Championships, which are due to take place from August 27 to September 4.

An IAAF statement said: "In mid-January 2011, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board accepted that the Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee no longer existed, as the IAAF had done with regard to the Netherlands Antilles Athletics Federation.

"The IOC also established a transitional provision which would allow the former AHO athletes to compete in the London 2012 Olympic Games.

"With regard to the eligibility of former AHO athletes to compete in the Daegu World Championships, the Council agreed that athletes having competed for AHO would be eligible with immediate effect to compete for either the Netherlands or Aruba (in line with the policy announced by the IOC for the London 2012 Olympic Games)."

The next IOC Session, which takes place in Durban in July, is expected to confirm the proposals agreed upon by the IOC Executive Board in January.

The IOC Executive Board proposed that IOC recognition from the Netherlands Antilles National Olympic Committee is withdrawn.

The IOC have also asked for close cooperation from the International Federations concerned to safeguard the interests of the athletes from the country by facilitating a smooth transition to ensure the application of the measures for the athletes that will be taken by the IOC vis-à-vis the 2012 Olympic Games.

They also stated that no new NOC can be recognised for any of the five islands which made up the Netherlands Antilles, in a set of decisions taken in the legal scope of the Olympic Charter with a view to preserving and protecting wherever possible the interests of the athletes of these islands.

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