IOC Executive Board Provisionally Lifts Suspension of Russian Olympic Committee for LA 2028

The International Olympic Committee Executive Board provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee on Tuesday, clearing a path for Russian athletes to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, marking a significant step towards Russia’s reintegration into the Olympic fold before the Los Angeles 2028 Games”

Al Jazeera

The IOC said the decision followed its legal commission’s analysis that the ROC no longer includes regional sports organizations in territories under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, and that “the ROC confirmed that it does not, and will not, conduct any activities in these territories.”

Al Jazeera

IOC president Kirsty Coventry said the change was made “to ensure all athletes have the possibility to compete at the Olympic Games and not be held responsible for their government’s actions,” while the IOC stressed it “strongly condemned” the conflict and said its stance on the invasion “remains unchanged.”

The IOC also said it will continue to vet Russian athletes seeking Olympic eligibility, including reviewing public statements and social media activity to ensure they have not publicly supported the war or maintained ties to Russia’s military or security services, and it said Russian government officials will remain barred from IOC events.

The IOC said the LA Games are slated to begin on July 14, 2028, and that individual international sports federations will ultimately decide whether to allow Russian athletes and teams back into their events, meaning some sports could continue to keep the country sidelined.

The decision drew immediate discontent from UK officials, with Sky Sports reporting Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport Lisa Nandy saying, “I am utterly appalled with today's IOC decision.”

Nandy said the government has been “consistently clear that the Russian state should not be represented in international sport while the illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues,” and she added that “We continue to stand in solidarity with Ukraine.”

BBC

Sky Sports also reported three-time Olympian Vladyslav Heraskevych, disqualified from the 2026 Winter Olympics for wearing a helmet that bore photographs of fellow Ukrainian athletes who had been killed during the war with Russia, called the IOC move an “absolutely shameful decision.”

In contrast, Russian officials welcomed the IOC action, with Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyaryov characterizing it as “a green light for international federations to reinstate all our athletes,” according to Sportico.

The IOC itself said it “continues to stand in solidarity with the Olympic community of Ukraine,” while also acknowledging that “an athlete's participation in international competition should not be limited by the involvement of their government in a war or conflict,” as reported by Sportico.

The IOC framed Tuesday’s move as provisional, saying it has not yet determined when Russian athletes could compete under their national flag and anthem, and that the decision would be made “at an appropriate time.”

“The IOC provisionally lifts the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee”

Boursorama

Sportico reported that the IOC said Russian government and state officials will not be invited to Olympic events, and that it would decide later about “the display of the Russian flag, anthem, colors or any identifications for the Olympic Games” under a review schedule.

NPR reported the IOC advised Olympic sports bodies to end a three-year program vetting Russians for neutral status ahead of qualifying events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, while also saying the IOC will continue to “not organize IOC events in Russia or invite Russian government or state officials to its events.”

NPR said just 32 athletes from Russia and Belarus competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics as approved neutrals and combined to win five medals, while the IOC said Russian athletes must give multiple doping controls and be part of a recognized testing program.

Even with the ROC suspension lifted, the sources describe uneven federation responses, including World Athletics upholding its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes in international track and field competitions, while World Aquatics had lifted restrictions in April to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags at aquatic events.