IOC Lifts Suspension of Russian Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced today that it is provisionally lifting its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee. The decision, which gives Russian athletes a pathway to compete under the Russian flag at the 2028 Olympics, happens less than 48 hours after a Russian attack on Kyiv killed 22 people.
In a release on the Olympic website, the IOC laid out conditions and recommendations for international sports federations (IFs) to fully re-integrate Russia and Russian athletes into their federations. IFs have individual discretion over whether symbols like the Russian flag or the Russian national anthem are allowed at their events, if competitions can be held in Russia, and if Russian state officials are allowed to come.
World Athletics, one of the flagships IFs, will continue its exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from its events, per a decision made last week.
World Aquatics, on the other hand, has continuously softened its position on the inclusion of Russia and Belarus. In April, the organization restored the two nations’ full membership rights, meaning that Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete under their flags, wear their colors, and that Russia and Belarus are eligible to host World Aquatics events.
Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev welcomed the IOC’s decision today.
“The IOC is sending a clear signal: the Olympic movement must remain free from politics,” Degystarev wrote.
“Our country’s return to the Olympic family is a green light for international federations to reinstate all our athletes,” the minister added.
The IOC release today laid out guidelines for Russian athletes to re-enter the drug testing pool in their IFs. The organization also said its stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has not changed, and that it will continue to not host events in Russia or invite Russian state officials to IOC events.
Why Now?
The Russo-Ukrainian war, which started when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, has now lasted longer than World War I. Casualties are believed to have exceeded two million cumulatively on both sides.
Material conditions of Russia’s war in Ukraine have not changed recently. As mentioned before, Russia launched an attack on Kyiv as recently as this Monday morning, killing 22 people and injuring dozens. The week prior, Russia also launched 500 drones and 70 missiles in an attack on Ukraine. This attack killed 18, injured nearly 100, and hit residential and medical areas.
So why are suspensions being lifted now? According to the IOC, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) has reversed its recognition of regional Olympic councils in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. The ROC was originally handed a suspension in 2023 for its recognition of ROC councils in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – all of which are part of Ukraine.
The IOC also suggests that the decision was made now with the “need to offer equal access to these competitions to all athletes” in mind, as qualification periods for LA 2028 have already begun.