The IOC lifted restrictions on Russia: are Russian athletes returning?

International Olympic Committee 7 July 2026 provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, which had been in effect since 12 October 2023. The decision opens the way for Russian athletes to a fuller return to international competitions, including qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The IOC explained that the Russian committee no longer includes sports organizations from temporarily occupied territories that fall under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. The Russian side also assured that it will not carry out any activity there.

The very inclusion of sports organizations from occupied parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions was the reason for the suspension of the Russian committee in 2023. The IOC then recognized such actions as a violation of the Olympic Charter and the territorial integrity of the NOC of Ukraine.

After the new decision, the IOC’s recommendations to restrict the participation of adult Russian athletes in international federation tournaments no longer apply. However, this does not mean automatic admission in all sports: each international federation may independently retain its own sanctions.

In particular, World Athletics, a few days before the IOC decision, extended the suspension of athletes from Russia and Belarus due to the war against Ukraine. World Athletics said there are no grounds to review the sanctions, since there has been no noticeable progress toward peace.

The IOC has not yet decided whether Russia will be able to use a state flag, anthem and national colors at the Olympic Games. At the Games in Paris 2024 and Milan-Cortina 2026, permitted Russians competed as individual neutral athletes.

The decision is preliminary. The IOC Executive Board said it will continue to monitor the activities of the Russian Olympic Committee in the occupied Ukrainian territories and reserves the right to reimpose restrictions.

Earlier we wrote:

• Is Russia returning to world sport? Ukraine boycotts the match after the federation’s scandalous decision
• Ukrainian Paralympians will boycott the opening ceremony
• On “Helmet of Memory” – Mykyta Kozubenko from Mykolaiv – the fallen diver from the Korabelnyi district
• “Helmet of Memory” without a start: Heraskevych was disqualified before the first Olympic race
• Ukraine at the start of the Winter Olympics: 46 athletes will represent the country in Milan and Cortina