International Olympic Committee Lifts Ban on Russia Ahead of 2028 Los Angeles Games

Olympic rings are pictured outside the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ahead of newly elected President Kirsty Coventry’s first Executive Board meeting at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, on June 25, 2025. Denis Balibouse/ReutersThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) has reinstated Russia, clearing the way for the country’s athletes to return to competition.The IOC provisionally lifted on July 7 its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, which it suspended in October 2023 for recognizing regional Olympic councils in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine—Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. This came over a year after Russia invaded Ukraine.However, the IOC has not yet decided whether Russian athletes will be permitted to compete under their national flag, wear national colors, or have their anthem played at future Olympic Games.IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the decision reflects the organization’s commitment to ensuring athletes are not punished for the actions of their governments while reaffirming the IOC’s continued support for Ukraine.“We don’t condone any wars, including ⁠this one. We will continue to support Ukraine like we have since this started. But I don’t believe athletes should pay the ​price,” Coventry told a press conference.Coventry said the IOC’s decision was intended to preserve athletes’ opportunity to compete.“We made it clear ​that all athletes had the possibility to compete at the Olympic Games. This is what this decision speaks to. It allows Russian athletes to take part in sports competitions. We thought it was really important for athletes to have that possibility,” Coventry said.She also noted that the IOC would continue to closely monitor Russia’s compliance. There was no immediate response from Ukraine.Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev welcomed the decision, saying it should pave the way for Russian athletes to fully return to international competition.“Our country’s return to the Olympic family is a green light for international federations to reinstate all our athletes,” Degtyarev ‌said.Russian athletes previously competed as neutrals at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in 2023 after it recognized regional Olympic councils in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, saying the move violated the Olympic Charter and the territorial integrity of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee.On July 7, the IOC said: “The ROC confirmed that it does not, and will not, conduct any activities in these territories. The IOC [Executive Board] will ​continue to closely monitor the situation ​relating to any ROC activities ⁠in those territories, and reserves the right to take any further measures if deemed necessary.”Russia’s return also comes as the country continues to face scrutiny over one of the most significant doping scandals in Olympic history.Investigations beginning with a 2015 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-commissioned report uncovered evidence of systematic doping in Russian athletics, followed by findings of a state-backed cover-up linked to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.As a result, Russia was barred from competing under its flag at multiple Olympic Games, with many of its athletes participating only as neutrals.In 2019, WADA imposed a four-year ban after Russia was found to have manipulated laboratory data, though the Court of Arbitration for Sport later reduced the sanction to two years. Russian officials have consistently denied operating a state-sponsored doping program.Looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Coventry said the IOC would ensure Russian athletes are subject to rigorous anti-doping oversight.“We ask to ensure that adequate testing is done on ​Russian athletes coming into the LA28 Games,” she said.Reuters contributed to this report.