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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has eased restrictions on Russian athletes ahead of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
The IOC said on Tuesday that it had “provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee,” meaning Russian athletes could be able to compete for their country in the US.
Russia’s Olympic Committee had been suspended in 2023 amid Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But the IOC said that following a “thorough analysis,” it had determined that ban was “no longer applicable”.
Any Russian athletes looking to return to international competition will now be able to compete as long as they “meet relevant anti-doping requirements,” it said.
A decision has yet to be made on whether Russia can display its flag or colours or play its anthem at the Olympic Games. The IOC added that it would not organise events in Russia or invite Russian officials to its events.
The governing body stressed that it had not changed its stance on the war in Ukraine and that it continued to “strongly” condemn Russia’s full-scale invasion, which it launched in February 2022.
Some Russians and Belarusians competed as neutral athletes at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris as well as at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Responding to the news in a post on Telegram, Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev said the IOC had sent a “clear signal – the Olympic movement must remain free from politics”.
It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Turkey for the 2026 NATO summit, where he met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Zelenskyy said he had briefed Rutte on the “consequences of Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian cities and communities” and that they had discussed Ukraine’s continued need for air defence missiles.