Can anyone tell me the rules on amateur or professional athletes at the Olympics?

Question

I was under the impression that only amateur athletes could enter the Olympics. (I'm almost certain it is still the case for sports such as boxing) So can anyone tell me why athletes such as Rafael Nadal and Kobe Bryant are allowed to compete?

Answer 1

That rule was eliminated for the 1992 Olympics, as there were too many athletes who were sponsored and maintained by their governments, who paid them a lot of money to represent them, therefore not being amateur anymore.

As you correctly mentioned, the only sport where still only amateurs are allowed to compete is boxing, for no other reason than the safety of the participants, as the amateur and the pro style are very different.

Answer 2

just two rules:

soccer - no 3 players of a team aged over 23 are allowed on the field at same time  

boxing - pros not allowed

Answer 3

It's a farce to allow professionals but they do.It's too bad.