IOC eases path towards Russia return at LA Games, but World Athletics ban remains
IOC president says athletes should not be punished for “actions of their governments”, but decision isn’t binding on governing bodies
Russia has moved closer towards having a full team with its national flag and anthem at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday provisionally lifted a suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and advised Olympic sports bodies to end a three-year programme where Russian athletes had to be vetted for permission to compete as neutrals.
The IOC said the timing was because qualifying events are starting for the LA Games, and “the need to offer equal access to these competitions to all athletes.”
The move, which also signals a return for Russia in team sports, had been expected since the IOC advised two months ago that athletes from Belarus, which was Russia’s ally when its military invasion of Ukraine started in 2022, should be allowed again to compete with their full national identity.
“We don’t want to hold athletes accountable for the actions of their governments,” IOC president Kirsty Coventry said at an online news conference after she chaired an executive board meeting.
A two-time Olympic swimming gold medallist, the Zimbabwean said it was a fair decision and noted: “I wouldn’t be sitting here if I had to pay the price when my country was going through things and being sanctioned.”