Australian Sports Minister Anika Wells was among the Government officials to join a coalition of 35 countries which raised "many questions and concerns" over the IOC's decision to consider readmitting athletes from Russia and Belarus.

The coalition claimed that there was "no practical reason" for the IOC to lift the ban on Russian and Belarusian competitors while Ukraine remains under attack and expressed "strong concerns" over the feasibility of them participating under a neutral banner.

Australia was the first country to be awarded the Olympic and Paralympic Games under the IOC's new bidding process, with Brisbane set to host the 2032 edition.

Politicians from France, Italy and the United States, which are due to stage the Games in 2024, 2026 and 2028 respectively, also signed the collective statement expressing concerns over the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

Despite the Australian Government’s decision to join the coalition, the AOC said its support for the IOC’s stance was unwavering.

"This is a complex and very difficult issue," a spokesperson for the AOC told The Guardian.

"The IOC has a mandate to bring the world together through peaceful competition.

"Sport gives us that hope.

"The AOC supports the IOC's position that the role of sport is to bring the world together through peaceful competition - the role of sport is to promote harmony and not punish individual athletes for the policies and action of their Governments.

"We cannot discriminate against athletes based on their passports or the actions of their Governments."

Australia was not on the list but the country's Government has since stressed that it does agree with the collective statement.

A spokesperson for the Australian Sports Ministry told Reuters that its omission was an administrative error.

The Australian Government has previously distanced itself from calls for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be banned from Paris 2024.

The coalition stressed that the athletes from the two nations should not be allowed to compete until the IOC had addressed "the substantial lack of clarity and concrete detail on a workable neutrality model".

The collective statement came as a result of an international summit chaired by British Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer on February 10 that brought together more than 35 nations to discuss the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

In response to the statement, the IOC told insidethegames that it welcomed "constructive questions" over the definition of neutrality for athletes from Russia and Belarus to return to international competition as it continues to hold talks with stakeholders before making its final decision.