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IOC provisionally lifts ban on Russian Olympic Committee ahead of 2028 Los Angeles Games
IOC provisionally lifts suspension of Russian Olympic Committee ahead of Los Angeles 2028
The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday provisionally lifted its 2023 suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, clearing the way for Russian athletes to return to international competition ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The decision, announced by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, reverses Moscow’s Olympic isolation imposed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and marks the most significant step yet toward reintegrating Russian sport into the global arena.
Under the provisional terms, the ROC is no longer barred from Olympic qualifiers, though individual federations retain discretion over whether to allow Russian participation. Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyaryov said Tuesday that 10 international federations already permit both adult and junior athletes to compete, while more than 20 others allow juniors under the Russian flag despite adult bans. “The reinstatement opens a direct path for international governing bodies to welcome Russian teams back,” Degtyaryov told reporters .
The IOC move follows a December 2025 push to readmit Russian and Belarusian youth athletes and a May 2026 lifting of restrictions on Belarusian competitors. Yet the decision remains conditional: the ROC has pledged not to conduct activities in Ukrainian territories under the jurisdiction of Ukraine’s Olympic Committee, and the IOC stressed the suspension could be reinstated if Russia violates its commitments .
Reaction has been sharply divided. The Kremlin welcomed the decision as “an important step” toward restoring Russian athletes’ rights, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov noting further work would continue through sports authorities . Russian biathlete and two-time Olympic champion Dmitry Vasilyev told Meduza the IOC’s stance leaves little room for federations to ignore the recommendation. “No federation can simply ignore the IOC’s position; it would cost them too much,” Vasilyev said. “So if not 100%, then 99% of international federations will follow the IOC’s lead and bring our athletes back” .
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry called the ruling “troubling” and urged event hosts to maintain bans on Russian state symbols. Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk, a Wimbledon semifinalist, criticized the IOC on Wednesday, saying it was “unbelievable” that Russia would again be allowed to send teams to the 2028 and 2030 Olympics .
In the United States, lawmakers swiftly condemned the decision. Politico reported that congressional figures criticized the IOC for loosening restrictions on Russian athletes, who have been barred from competing under their national banner since the invasion .
Football’s world governing body FIFA signaled it would move quickly to follow the IOC’s lead, with President Gianni Infantino previously arguing that bans on Russian teams had failed. FIFA said it would analyze the IOC ruling before deciding on reinstatement, though UEFA has no immediate plans to readmit Russian clubs or national teams. The Ukrainian football federation has filed a complaint over Russian clubs’ integration of teams from occupied regions such as Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk .
IOC President Coventry insisted the decision rested on a principle of neutrality in sport, while Berlin’s Olympic envoy Kaweh Niroomand argued the move risked creating confusion by deferring responsibility to individual federations .
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IOC lifts Russia suspension, athletes to return to international competitions The International Olympic Committee provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee on Tuesday, marking a significant step towards Russias reintegration into the Olympic fold ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Games. Following Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the ROC was suspended in October 2023 for recognising regional Olympic councils in Russian-occupied […]
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