10 Russian wrestlers decline Olympics invitation

July 6 (UPI) -- Ten Russian wrestlers who received invitations to compete in the Paris Olympics later this month declined to participate, saying the selection process was "unsportsmanlike."

The Russian Wrestling Federation on Saturday announced their refusal to compete in the Olympics after the International Olympic Committee invited 10 of them to compete under a neutral flag.

The IOC earlier banned all Russian athletes from competing in the Paris Olympics scheduled July 24 through Aug. 11.

IOC officials afterward chose to invite some Russian athletes to compete under a neutral flag after vetting them to ensure they met certain conditions.

"We do not accept the unsportsmanlike selection principle that guided the International Olympics Committee when forming the list of eligible athletes," federation officials said in a statement Saturday.

Federation officials accused the IOC of undermining the "principle of unity of our team" with its selection process.

The criteria require athletes to show they don't support Russia's war on Ukraine and have no ties with the Russian military.

Any wrestlers or other Russian athletes who accepted the IOC's invitation to compete would be excluded from team events and the opening ceremony.

The IOC invited 57 athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete as individual neutral athletes.

At least 14 have declined their invitations, while none reported as accepting the Olympics invitations.