By Steve Keating (Reuters) – Russian athletes who have not been welcome at international events due to the country’s war with Ukraine could soon be allowed back in competition, said the head of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee on Thursday. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued guidance to sports governing bodies in February to remove Russian and Belarusian athletes from competition. Belarus has been used as a staging ground for Russia’s invasion, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”. But the IOC is now beginning to consider a pathway back for athletes …