The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has asked international sports federations to end a three-year neutral status review process for Russian athletes ahead of qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.The decision follows a recommendation from the International Olympic Committee two months ago that athletes from Russia and Belarus should once again be allowed to compete as their own countries. Belarus has been a military ally of Russia during its invasion of Ukraine.“The IOC stands with the Ukrainian Olympic community, which the Olympic Movement has supported since the beginning of the war and will continue to do so,” the IOC said in a statement after the executive board meeting.The IOC also relaxed the conditions for Russian athletes and teams to participate in IOC events and temporarily lifted the Russian Olympic Committee’s suspension of qualifications since October 2023.The suspension was initially imposed after the Russian Olympic Committee included the regional sports committees of the occupied areas of Ukraine. The IOC said these conditions no longer apply.“This decision was taken by the IOC Legal Affairs Committee after a thorough analysis, taking into account that the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) no longer considers as its members any regional sports organization under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (NOC),” the IOC said in a statement.Only 32 athletes from Russia and Belarus competed in Paris 2024 as approved neutral athletes, and they won a total of five medals. By comparison, Russia has more than 300 athletes at Tokyo 2021, winning 71 medals.The International Olympic Committee has not yet decided whether to allow Russian athletes and teams to compete under the Russian flag and national anthem.The IOC said the decision would be made “in due course”.The next Olympics on the calendar are the 2026 Youth Summer Games in Dakar, Senegal, which kick off on October 31.The IOC also said Russian athletes must undergo multiple doping tests and participate in a recognized anti-doping testing program before returning to international competition.The IOC said the measures were needed “to address the lack of confidence among the global sports community in the return of Russian athletes to international competition”.The Olympic body also confirmed that it will continue “not to organize IOC events in Russia, nor to invite Russian government or state officials to its events.”
