
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), clearing the way for Russian athletes to return to international competition ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The decision, announced by the IOC’s executive board in Lausanne, marks a decisive shift after three years of restrictions imposed following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The IOC confirmed that the ROC no longer includes regional sports organizations from the four Ukrainian territories—Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia—that Moscow annexed in 2022. The ROC has also pledged not to conduct activities in these areas, addressing the IOC’s earlier concerns that the committee violated the Olympic Charter by incorporating these regions. “The International Olympic Committee Executive Board has provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee,” the IOC stated in a release .
While Russian athletes will now be permitted to compete in team sports and qualify for the 2028 Games, the IOC has yet to decide whether they will be allowed to march under their national flag or play their national anthem. The decision on symbols will be made at a later date, the IOC said. Russian athletes had been competing as neutral competitors in Paris 2024 and the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, barred from representing their country due to the war.
The IOC also removed its previous recommendations to international federations restricting the participation of Russian athletes, leaving individual sports bodies to set their own eligibility rules. However, all returning Russian athletes must still meet stringent anti-doping requirements, the IOC emphasized, citing ongoing concerns about the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and systemic doping violations. The IOC reiterated that it would not organize events in Russia or invite Russian government officials to its competitions.
The move follows a similar easing of restrictions on Belarusian athletes in May, though Belarus continues to support Russia’s war effort. The IOC stressed that athletes should not be held responsible for the actions of their governments, a principle it invoked to justify the partial normalization of relations with Russian sport. “The start of athletes at international competitions must not be restricted by the actions of their governments, including participation in a war or conflict,” the IOC stated .
In a separate but related decision, the IOC confirmed the removal of the Nordic Combined from the Olympic program after more than a century. The sport, which combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing, will not feature at the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps. The decision has drawn criticism from within the sport, with Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV) sport director Mario Stecher calling it “a heavy blow” for Nordic Combined athletes .
Reaction to the IOC’s decision has been mixed. Swedish Olympic Committee chair Hans von Uthmann described it as “a very sad and unfortunate decision,” while the Czech Olympic Committee publicly disagreed with the move . The IOC, however, framed the decision as a return to sporting normalcy, emphasizing that politics should not dictate athletic participation.
The IOC’s announcement comes as qualification processes for the 2028 Games are already underway. The decision leaves open the possibility that Russian athletes could compete in Los Angeles under neutral status, pending further IOC review. The IOC has reserved the right to reinstate restrictions if the ROC or Russian authorities violate the conditions set out in Tuesday’s decision.
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