IOC reinstates Russian Olympic Committee as LA 2028 questions remain
The IOC lifted the Russian Olympic Committee’s suspension but has not ruled on whether Russia can use its flag, colours or anthem at the Games.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
The International Olympic Committee has lifted the Russian Olympic Committee’s suspension, moving Russian athletes closer to a broader return before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. The IOC said Tuesday it has not yet decided whether Russia may compete under its flag, colours or anthem at the Summer Games.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the decision was meant to protect athletes’ access to competition while the organisation continues to back Ukraine. She said the IOC does not support wars, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, but does not want athletes punished for decisions made by their government.
Coventry said the IOC wanted to keep open a route for Russian athletes to compete at the Olympic Games. She also said the committee would keep watching Russia’s conduct closely.
There was no immediate response from Ukraine, according to Reuters. Russian Sport Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said the decision should allow Russian athletes to return fully to international sport, calling it a signal for international federations to reinstate them.
Why the suspension was imposed
The ROC was suspended after it recognised regional Olympic councils in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia. The IOC said in 2023 that the move breached the Olympic Charter and undermined the authority of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee.
The IOC said its executive board acted after a review by its Legal Affairs Commission. According to the IOC, the ROC no longer lists regional sports organisations from territories under Ukraine’s Olympic jurisdiction as members.
The IOC said the ROC has stated that it does not carry out activity in those territories and will not do so. The committee said it reserves the right to take further action if it considers that necessary.
Russian athletes took part as neutrals at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games. The latest decision does not by itself settle how Russian competitors would be presented at LA 2028.
Doping concerns remain
Russia’s Olympic status also remains tied to its long-running doping record. A 2015 report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency found evidence of systematic doping in Russian athletics, and later findings pointed to a state-sponsored cover-up around the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Russia was barred from using its flag at several later Games, with many athletes admitted only under neutral terms. WADA imposed a four-year sanction in 2019 after Moscow was found to have altered laboratory data; the Court of Arbitration for Sport later reduced that penalty to two years. Russian officials have repeatedly denied that the country ran a state-backed doping programme.
Coventry said the IOC is asking for adequate testing of Russian athletes before the Los Angeles Games.
Other sports have eased restrictions
Some international federations have already reduced limits on Russian and Belarusian athletes. World Aquatics ruled in April that athletes from both countries could compete under their national flags at international swimming and aquatic events.
World Boxing also said in April that Russian and Belarusian boxers could return to international competitions as neutral athletes. In May, the IOC recommended that Belarusian athletes again be allowed to compete with their national identity rather than go through neutral-status checks.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.