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Oleh Nemchinov, secretary of Ukraine's cabinet ministers, said that the decision was made after a proposal by Ukraine's sports minister Vadym Huttsait, and that any national federations ignoring the ruling could face sanctions.
The Ukrainian government has announced that their athletes will not participate in qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Olympics if they have to compete against Russian athletes.
Oleh Nemchinov, secretary of Ukraine's cabinet ministers, said that the decision was made after a proposal by Ukraine's sports minister Vadym Huttsait, and that any national federations ignoring the ruling could face sanctions.
The IOC had previously recommended a gradual return to international competition for Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals.
This followed their ban from most elite international sporting competitions since last March due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Nemchinov was quoted by Suspilne, Ukraine's public broadcaster, as saying, "At a meeting of the government, a protocol decision was made on the proposal of colleague Huttsait that we take part in qualifying competitions only where there are no Russians.”
“Accordingly, participation outside these criteria may be grounds for depriving federations of their national status."
The IOC will make a separate decision on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in Paris at a later date, but Ukraine has threatened to boycott the 2024 Games should they be allowed to compete there.
The Ukrainian sports ministry condemned the IOC's latest guidelines, while the head of Russia's Olympic committee has criticized the IOC's criteria.
Despite this, the IOC is reluctant to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from Paris, as they fear a return to the boycotts of the Cold War era.
In January, the IOC set out a pathway for Russian and Belarusian athletes to earn Olympic slots through Asian qualifying to compete as neutral athletes.
While some federations have readmitted Russian and Belarusian athletes in competitions, there is still considerable opposition to the IOC's plans from athletes and some European governments.
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