The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Tuesday that it would lift restrictions on Russian athletes to allow them to compete in team events and qualifying competitions.
All this comes ahead of qualifying events for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and just two months after the IOC lifted sanctions for Russia’s ally Belarus, whose athletes will be allowed to compete again without restrictions and with their national symbols.
Russia has been barred from international sporting competitions since the war in Ukraine began in 2022.
The IOC suspended Russia’s Olympic Committee in 2023 after Russia unilaterally recognized regional sports organizations in four Ukrainian regions that Russia illegally annexed in 2022.
Russian athletes were still able to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games as neutral athletes, but only if they proved not to support the war and had no ties to Russia’s military or security forces.
IOC chief: Athletes should not pay the price of war
In a statement, the IOC said that a thorough analysis by the Commission of its Legal Affairs showed that the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) no longer includes as its members any regional sports organizations in the territories under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry told reporters that the IOC “opposes any form of violence and war and will continue to support Ukraine,” but added that it was not right that athletes “should have to pay the price for this.”
Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev welcomed the IOC’s decision, saying it should clear the way for Russian athletes to make a full return to the international sporting stage.
“Our country’s return to the Olympic family is a green signal for international federations to reinstate all of our athletes,” Degtyarev said.
No flag or anthem at this time
The IOC said, however, that the Russians would still undergo strict anti-doping procedures to address the lack of confidence in the global sporting community related to the return of Russian athletes to international competition.
The IOC also said it would not hold IOC events in Russia or invite Russian government or state officials to its events.
The ban on playing the Russian national anthem and displaying the flag has also been maintained for the time being.
“We have made it clear that all athletes have the possibility to compete at the Olympic Games. This decision reflects that. It allows Russian athletes to participate in sporting competitions. We thought it was really important for athletes to have this possibility,” Coventry told a news conference.
He said, “When we strengthened our neutrality clause it was very clear that selection would not be based only on sporting performance, but also on the ability to serve as role models.”
Edited by: Zack Crellin