​Russian athletes could be allowed to compete for their homeland at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles after the International Olympic Committee provisionally lifted their suspension. The IOC had suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in 2023 in response to the war in Ukraine, but it now says that ban is “no longer applicable,” allowing athletes from Russia to participate again provided they meet the relevant anti-doping requirements. A decision on whether Russia can display its flag, colours, and anthem at the Olympic Games remains pending.
The IOC stated that it will continue to “not organise IOC events in Russia or invite Russian government or state officials to its events.” Nevertheless, some Russian athletes took part in both the 2024 Paris Games and this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan as neutrals. At the 2024 Paris Games, only 32 athletes from Russia and Belarus competed as approved neutrals, and they collectively won five medals. By contrast, the Russian team fielded more than 300 athletes at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, securing 71 medals in total.
Russia welcomed the IOC’s decision, asserting that the Games should be “free from politics.” Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev described the move as “The IOC is sending a clear signal: the Olympic movement must remain free from politics,” and he stated that Russia intended to participate in qualifiers for the 2028 Olympics. The IOC, for its part, reiterated that it continues to strongly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine but emphasized that an athlete’s participation in international competition should not be constrained by the involvement of their government in a war or conflict.
In related developments, World Athletics, in May, rejected a recommendation from the IOC to lift a ban on Belarusian athletes and teams competing under their national flag. This decision underscored the ongoing tensions between geopolitical actions and international sporting participation, as the global sports community grapples with how to balance political realities with the principle of allowing athletes to compete based on merit and without punitive restrictions tied to their governments’ actions. The evolving landscape leaves room for cautious optimism about Russian participation in future Olympic cycles, including Paris 2024’s neutrals and the path toward Los Angeles 2028, while maintaining the IOC’s overarching stance on political neutrality and anti-doping compliance.