The International Olympic Committee provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, in place since 2023 in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, clearing the way for Russian athletes to compete as members of the ROC at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and beyond.
The IOC said in a statement Tuesday that the ROC will be allowed to compete again because its membership no longer includes regional sports organizations in territories under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. The IOC said that “the ROC confirmed that it does not, and will not, conduct any activities in these territories,” and that it will continue to monitor the situation.
Russia, however, has continued its invasion of Ukraine, in a war now stretching more than four years. The IOC’s decision comes two days after Russia fired missiles at Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, killing at least 16 people.
The IOC’s decision acknowledged a “lack of confidence” in the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) in the yearslong fallout of a state-sponsored doping scandal stemming from the 2014 Sochi Games and laid out expectations for Russian athletes to test “multiple times” before returning. If RUSADA is still considered non-compliant leading into the 2028 Games, the IOC said, Russian athletes would need to undergo independent testing.
“We wanted to ensure all athletes have the possibility to compete at the Olympic Games and not be held responsible for their governments’ actions,” IOC president Kirsty Coventry said in a press conference following the announcement. “And I believe that this is what this decision speaks to. It allows for Russian athletes to take part in sport competitions, but we’ve also been very clear that we don’t condone any violence and war around the world.”
Coventry said the IOC will review the protocols around the use of Russia’s anthem and flag at a later date and that the IOC will not organise IOC events in Russia or invite Russian government or state officials to its events.
After revelations of a state-sponsored doping scandal at the 2014 Games that they hosted, the IOC imposed penalties on Russia but its athletes were allowed to compete under a neutral flag and the name “Olympic Athletes from Russia” at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. At the 2020 and 2022 Games, the name was changed to the ROC, with Russian-flag colors in the shape of a flame over the Olympic rings as the flag. A select few competed as Individual Neutral Athletes in 2024 and 2026 after the further ban sparked by the invasion of Ukraine.
The International Paralympic Committee previously cleared the way for Russians to return at the 2026 Paralympics and compete under their own flag for the first time since 2014. Russians won eight golds in Milan Cortina, third best overall, and 12 total medals.
Also Tuesday, the IOC announced a series of changes to the 2030 Olympic program. Nordic combined, a part of every previous Winter Olympics, was dropped. Freeriding — with both skiing and snowboarding disciplines — was added as a new sport.
This story will be updated.
