When Russia invaded Ukraine, most sports followed the International Olympic Committee's recommendation to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes. 11 months later, the IOC is promoting a different approach.

Driving the news: The IOC made clear Wednesday that it wants Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics, saying in a statement that "no athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport."

• The statement, which came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a complete ban, says the IOC plans to explore a pathway for participation "under strict conditions."
• Russians and Belarusians would compete as "neutral athletes" under the IOC's plan, and "in no way represent their state or any other organization in their country."

The backdrop: IOC president Thomas Bach began openly pushing for this outcome last month, saying that "athletes [should] not be tarnished for acts of their government as long as they do not contribute to it or support it."

• He gained immediate support from the USOPC, which said it was "essential to the [Olympics] movement" for them to be included as long as they didn't compete under their national flags.
• Europe, however, remains torn, the WSJ reports ($). 2024 host nation France declined to comment, and the Olympic committees of Germany, Greece, Italy and the U.K. have yet to take a firm position.

State of play: The Olympics wouldn't be the first sporting event to require Russians and Belarusians to compete without a country affiliation. Tennis has been operating that way for months.

• At the Australian Open, where Russian and Belarusian flags are banned, two women's semifinalists were Belarusian (Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka) and one men's semifinalist was Russian (Karen Khachanov). All are playing as "neutral" athletes.
• Wimbledon has yet to decide whether Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete this year after banning them from last year's tournament.

Between the lines: In its statement, the IOC cited the example of Yugoslavians competing as "independent athletes" at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics while their government was under U.N. sanctions.

• There's also the more recent example of Russian athletes, themselves, who haven't competed under their country's flag at any Olympics since 2016 due to a widespread doping scandal.
• Yes, but: That's not to say there isn't precedent for banning a country from the Olympics entirely. Five were banned in 1920 for their involvement in World War I, and Germany and Japan were banned in 1948 post-World War II.

The bottom line: In February, the IOC supported banning certain athletes "to protect the integrity of global sports." Now it wants those same athletes to participate to protect the "unifying mission of the Olympic movement."

The NBA All-Star starters were announced on Thursday night, with LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo earning the title of captain.

East:

• Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
• Kyrie Irving (Nets)
• Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)
• Kevin Durant (Nets)
• Jayson Tatum (Celtics)

West:

• James (Lakers)
• Nikola Jokić (Nuggets)
• Steph Curry (Warriors)
• Luka Dončić (Mavericks)
• Zion Williamson (Pelicans)

How it works: Fans account for 50% of the votes, while NBA players and a media panel account for 25% each.

• The All-Star reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, will be announced on TNT next Thursday.
• James and Antetokounmpo will select their teams in a draft held immediately before the All-Star Game on Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City.

Go deeper: All-Star reactions, biggest snubs (ESPN)

Wrexham, a small Welsh soccer club with a wildly passionate fan base, was introduced to the world when actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney became owners in 2020, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.

• Turns out, they're much more than Hollywood fodder.

State of play: Wrexham (20-5-2) are unbeaten in their last 15 league matches and have leapt to the top of the National League, the fifth tier of English soccer.

• The club has been stuck in the fifth tier since being relegated in 2008, and only the league winner earns automatic promotion to the fourth tier, League Two.
• That proved important last year, when Wrexham finished second but lost in the promotion playoff. With 19 matches left this season, they're three points ahead of second place and 13 points ahead of third.

The intrigue: Wrexham aren't just making noise in the National League: They're also the lone fifth-tier club still alive in the FA Cup, the annual competition for teams across every level of English soccer.

• The fourth round, featuring the final 32 teams, begins today on ESPN+.
• The final 32 teams: 11 from the Premier League, 12 from the Championship, five from League One, three from League Two, and Wrexham.

Behind the scenes: "Welcome to Wrexham," the Hulu docuseries taking viewers inside the club under Reynolds' and McElhenney's ownership, has helped drive global interest in the team. Season 2 debuts later this year.

🏈 Panthers hire Reich: Frank Reich has been named the Panthers head coach. It's a homecoming for the 61-year-old Reich, who was the organization's first-ever QB in 1995.

⚽️ U.S. Soccer shakeup: U.S. Soccer sporting director Earnie Stewart and USMNT general manager Brian McBride are both departing. Of note: Stewart hired Gregg Berhalter, whose contract expired on Dec. 31.

💔 RIP, Billy: Legendary college basketball commentator Billy Packer, who called 34 straight Final Fours, died Thursday at 82. He had some great calls, perhaps none more famous than, "Simon says championship."

🏈 Jets hire Hackett: The Jets have hired ex-Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett as their new OC, fueling speculation that they could be eyeing Aaron Rodgers (Hackett was his OC in Green Bay).

🇪🇸 Madrid derby: Karim Benzema and Vinicius Júnior scored in extra time as Real Madrid fought back to beat local rival Atlético Madrid, 3-1, and advance to the Copa del Rey semifinals.

Elon Musk's leadership style has caused many advertisers to flee Twitter, but sports leagues are among those reaping too much revenue and marketing advantage to quit the platform, Axios' Sara Fischer reports.

Driving the news: Twitter is planning to run content sponsorship deals with more than three dozen news outlets, media companies and sports leagues in the first half of this year, according to a schedule of events shared with ad partners and seen by Axios.

• This year, almost all of the major sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, NASCAR and PGA Tour, plan to run content deals on Twitter around regular season games and tentpole events.
• Sports publishers like CBS Sports, Turner Sports, ESPN, FOX, Univision and Telemundo are also slated to take part in deals around key sports events, per the document.

How it works: Over the past few years, media companies and sports leagues have brokered deals with Twitter — typically between one to three years — through a selective program called Twitter Amplify.

• The program pairs advertisers with timely videos from premium publishers, and publishers split a percentage of ad revenue made from their videos with Twitter.
• Some deals, like the NFL's partnership with Twitter, are worth seven figures if they run for their full term, according to two sources familiar with the agreements.

By the numbers: The top topics on Twitter by impressions in most of Q4 2022 were entertainment, sports & fitness, politics, food & beverage, financial services, news, and technology, per an advertising pitch document seen by Axios.

"Walking the dog," a basketball strategy wherein teams burn clock by letting the ball roll up the court untouched after an inbounds, is having a moment, Jeff writes.

By the numbers: Entering Wednesday, teams had walked the dog 164 times this season in crunch-time, wasting over 23 minutes of game clock, per ESPN. That's already twice as much as last season's total.

• No player does it more than Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant, who's already wasted more time than any team has in an entire season.
• He does it because it works: This 20-second dog-walk added 1.4% win probability to the Grizzlies' eventual victory over the Nets.

Read the full story.

Italy's Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii, a couple on the ice and in life, won the pairs title at the European figure skating championships on Thursday.

Sunday's Conference Championships feature four QBs with an average age of 25.3 years old, the youngest ever in the final four.

• 3pm ET, Fox: 49ers (+2.5) at Eagles … The last time Brock Purdy, 23, and Jalen Hurts, 24, faced off was in 2019 when Hurts' Oklahoma outlasted Purdy's Iowa State, 42-41. They combined for 555 passing yards and 11 total TDs.
• 6:30pm, CBS: Bengals (+1.5) at Chiefs … Joe Burrow, 26, and Patrick Mahomes, 27, are the 10th pair of QBs to meet multiple times in the conference title game. Burrow is 3-0 lifetime against Mahomes.

More to watch:

• 🎾 Australian Open: Women's final (Sat. 3:30am, ESPN2); Men's final (Sun. 3:30am, ESPN)
• 🏀 NBA: Nuggets at 76ers (Sat. 3pm, ABC); Knicks at Nets (Sat. 5:30pm, ABC); Lakers at Celtics (Sat. 8:30pm, ABC)
• 🏒 NHL: Red Wings at Islanders (Fri. 7pm, ESPN); Bruins at Panthers (Sat. 6pm, NHL); Capitals at Maple Leafs (Sun. 5pm, NHL)
• 🏀 NCAAM: No. 10 Texas at No. 4 Tennessee (Sat. 6pm, ESPN); No. 9 Kansas at Kentucky (Sat. 8pm, ESPN); Michigan State at No. 1 Purdue (Sun. 12:15pm, CBS)
• 🏀 NCAAW: No. 14 Oklahoma at No. 18 Iowa State (Sat. 4pm, ESPN+); No. 21 Villanova at No. 5 UConn (Sun. 2pm, CBSSN); No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 NC State (3pm, ESPN)
• ⚽️ Friendly: USMNT vs. Colombia (Sat. 7:30pm, TNT)
• ⚽️ FA Cup: 16 games (Fri-Mon, ESPN+) … Fourth round.
• ⛳️ PGA: Farmers Insurance Open (Fri-Sat, Golf/CBS/ESPN+)
• ⛳️ European Tour: Dubai Desert Classic (Fri-Sun, Golf)

This is LeBron James' 19th All-Star selection, tying him for most in NBA history.

• Question: Who's he tied with?
• Hint: Born in Harlem.

Answer at the bottom.

We all know the South dominates college football, but this map is still absurd. 16 of the last 17 national champions ... all inside that oval.