Fireworks at the opening ceremony of the 20th Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem
Fireworks at the opening ceremony of the 20th Maccabiah Games in JerusalemYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

Team Russia will not be competing in the 2022 Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv in July, the Jewish Chronicle reported.

Belarusian athletes will also not be part of the games, as Belarus is a close ally of Russia.

Team Russia was set to be part of the event, the third-largest sporting event in the world featuring 10,000 athletes, but a statement from organizers said that the team had decided to no longer compete.

Jewish athletes from Russia and Belarus who made aliyah to Israel will be allowed to compete in the 21st Maccabiah Games under the banner of the “Olim" with their own flag. The Olim team will also include athletes originally from multiple countries, including the United States, Canada, Ukraine, Georgia, Brazil and Ethiopia.

After its invasion of Ukraine, Russia was banned from multiple sports tournaments, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup taking place in November in Qatar.