Ivan Litvinovich from Belarus on Friday became the first athlete competing as a neutral at the Paris Olympics to win gold -- but it will not appear in the official medals table. 

The 23-year-old retained his title in the men's trampoline final, with China's Wang Zisai and Yan Langyu taking silver and bronze. 

Athletes from Russia and ally Belarus are competing under a neutral banner after being banned from world sport following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has overseen their gradual return under a neutral banner and strict conditions. 

To be invited to the Games, "neutral individual athletes" who achieved good enough results to qualify had to pass a double check.

International sports federations and the IOC verified that the competitors did not actively support the war in Ukraine or have any links with their countries' armies.

They were not allowed to take part in the opening ceremony or compete under their national flags.

If athletes make the podium, their achievements are not recognized in the medals table.

Only 15 Russians and 17 Belarusians accepted the invitation to compete under the neutral banner.

Gender row hits again in boxing in Paris 

After Imane Khalif, another boxer got involved in the same controversy and ignited a fire in the boxing fraternity as well as on social media despite having reached the quarter-finals Friday. Taiwan's Lin Yuting beat Sitora Turdibekova from Uzbekistan on a unanimous points decision in the women's 57kg class in her opening bout in Paris. 

The 28-year-old Lin is embroiled in a political punch-up over her eligibility, along with fellow boxer Imane Khelif, after the Algerian beat her Italian opponent in just 46 seconds on Thursday. Khelif and Lin both fought at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics without controversy.

They were then disqualified from the 2023 world championships in New Delhi, run by the International Boxing Association (IBA), after failing to meet "eligibility criteria".

However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has cleared the boxers to compete in the French capital, igniting a firestorm.