The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has opened the door for athletes from Russia and Belarus to be allowed to return to international competition as individual neutrals.

However, the European Olympic Committees (EOC) has barred Russian and Belarusian competitors from participating at the European Games, insisting it is "impossible" to allow them given the circumstances in Poland, which has welcomed more Ukrainian refugees than any other country since the start of the war.

The move has been praised by Polish President Andrzej Duda who hailed the EOC's stance at the Flame of Peace Lighting Ceremony in Italian capital Rome yesterday.

Włodarczyk took the flame away in a lantern which will be flown to Poland, where it is expected to be taken on a Torch Relay before the European Games are scheduled to open on June 21.

The hammer thrower said she was looking forward to competing at the Games without the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

She was awarded the London 2012 gold medal in October 2016 after Russia's Tatyana Lysenko tested positive for a banned substance following a reanalysis of her samples from the Games.

"It's really emotional to be part of this ceremony and the passing of the flame," said Włodarczyk, who also won Olympic gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

"We will now take it to Poland.

"I was at the Olympic Games several times and now have the chance to compete in a European Games so it's even more important to be part of such a ceremony.

"This is going to be really important for Poland, especially in terms of the war which is outside our eastern border and it's really important that sportspeople from Russia and Belarus won't come to Poland to compete because thanks to that the European Games will be played in a fair play spirit and calm and peace.

"It will be well organised and all the athletes that will come to Poland will be delighted and just enjoy the experience."

Speaking to Polish media before flying to Rome, Włodarczyk underlined her opposition to Russian and Belarusian athletes returning to events and urged the IOC to reconsider its decision before the Paris 2024 Olympics.

"It's very painful because we shouldn't even think about these things," said Włodarczyk in a report by Polish newspaper Fakt.

"It should be top-down information that athletes from both countries should not compete.

"I cannot imagine that a competitor from Ukraine would take part in the same competition with a competitor from Russia, because it is not only stress, emotions, but also mental issues and it is something terrible.

"I will continue to stand by the decision that they should be excluded [from international competition].

"It's definitely not easy, because this is where politics comes into play, and we've always said that sport should be separated from politics, and we see that's not the case here.

"I hope that in the coming months this decision will change and the Russians and Belarusians will not be admitted."