Way Is Cleared for Yugoslav Olympians

Yugoslav athletes will compete in the Olympic Games as individuals under the neutral Olympic flag, as stipulated by a formula accepted Friday by the Yugoslav Olympic Committee.

The arrangement ended weeks of uncertainty caused by United Nations sanctions against Yugoslavia, a former six-republic federation now consisting of only Serbia and Montenegro. The sanctions, designed to punish Serbia for stirring up violence in Bosnia-Herzegovina, included a sports boycott of Yugoslavia.

But under terms brokered by IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, the Yugoslav athletes will not be representing Yugoslavia. They will be known as the Independent Team.

The IOC wants to ensure that other parts of the former Yugoslavia not yet recognized by the Olympic movement--Bosnia-Herzegovina, specifically--also can send athletes to Barcelona.