Russia moved a step closer to returning to the Olympics ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).
The IOC Executive Board announced on Tuesday, 7 July, that it had provisionally lifted the suspension imposed on the ROC in October 2023. The committee said the decision followed confirmation that the ROC no longer includes regional sports organizations from territories under the jurisdiction of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee, and that it had ‘pledged not to conduct activities’ there.
The ROC had been suspended three years ago after recognizing regional Olympic councils in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, including Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. At the time, the IOC said the move violated the Olympic Charter and breached the territorial integrity of Ukraine’s Olympic committee.
The current ruling, however, does not amount to a full symbolic rehabilitation of Russia. The IOC said Russian athletes remain subject to relevant anti-doping requirements, while restrictions remain in place on Russian government and state officials, the staging of international sporting events in Russia, and the use of Russian state symbols at IOC events.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry defended the move by arguing that athletes should not be punished for the actions of their governments. She said the IOC’s position on Russia’s war in Ukraine remained unchanged, but that Russian athletes should be given access to international competitions and Olympic qualification pathways where they meet the relevant conditions.
The decision could have major implications for Los Angeles 2028 qualifying, much of which will take place over the next two years. It also removes, at IOC level, the previous framework under which many Russian athletes had to compete as individual neutrals after being vetted for military links or public support for the invasion of Ukraine.
Following the IOC announcement, Sky News reported on Wednesday, 8 July, that FIFA will formally discuss lifting the ban on all Russian teams. FIFA told the broadcaster it had been made aware of the IOC decision and would ‘analyze the decision before deciding on next steps in coordination with the relevant stakeholders’.
No Russian teams have played in FIFA or UEFA competitions since February 2022, when the governing bodies suspended Russian national representative sides and clubs following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia missed qualifying for the 2022 and 2026 men’s World Cups and the 2023 Women’s World Cup as a result.
The possible review follows earlier comments by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who told Sky News in February that football’s ban on Russia should be reconsidered. He said FIFA would ‘have to’ look at restoring Russian teams, arguing that the ban had ‘not achieved anything’ and had only created ‘more frustration and hatred’.
‘ROC president Mikhail Degtyarev said the ruling amounted to a “green light” for international federations to restore Russian athletes to competition’
FIFA has already taken one limited step towards easing restrictions, agreeing to allow Russia’s under-15 boys’ team to compete at a youth World Cup in Azerbaijan in October. UEFA, however, abandoned plans to reintroduce Russian youth teams in 2023 after a backlash from European federations.
Reacting to the IOC decision, Russian Sport Minister and ROC president Mikhail Degtyarev said the ruling amounted to a ‘green light’ for international federations to restore Russian athletes to competition.
Ukraine, on the other hand, strongly condemned the move. The foreign ministry called the decision a ‘troubling signal’ and urged host countries and international federations to maintain sanctions on Russian participation, as well as on the use of Russian state symbols, while the war continues.
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