LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has no immediate plans to lift sanctions on Russia and Belarus even though the qualifying process for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics goes into full swing next year, the Olympic body said on Monday.The IOC issued guidance to sports governing bodies in February to remove from competition athletes from Russia and Belarus, which Moscow used as a key staging area for the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine that Russia calls a 'special operation'.Speaking on the first day of the IOC's Executive Board meeting, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said there had been no change to the sanctions put in place at the start of the war in Ukraine despite the Paris Games starting in just over a year and a half.While events that count towards qualification in some sports for the Paris Olympics have already been held, most sports will stage their continental or global qualification events in the coming 18 months.While the IOC's position could change in the future, some federations have been clear that the only way to reinstate Russia and Belarus in their sport would be the removal of Russian troops from Ukraine."