IOC lifts suspension on Russian teams ahead of 2028 Olympics

Sports & Gaming IOC lifts suspension on Russian teams ahead of 2028 Olympics Comments: by Max Rego - 07/07/26 5:18 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Max Rego - 07/07/26 5:18 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday announced it is lifting the suspension of Russia’s Olympic teams, allowing them to compete at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

In a release, the IOC said it decided to “provisionally” lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) after its legal affairs commission determined the body no longer counts regional sports organizations in Ukrainian territory as members.

The IOC initially banned teams from competing under the Russian flag in October 2023, more than 18 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — a war that is ongoing.

At the 2024 Summer Games in Paris and the Winter Games earlier this year in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Russian athletes could compete as individual neutral athletes.

With the lifting of the restrictions, Russian teams can again compete. But the IOC noted it has not decided whether those teams can fly the Russian flag or play the Russian anthem, and it will not organize Olympic events in Russia nor invite Russian officials to its events.

The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine said Tuesday it “strongly disagrees” with the decision from the IOC, which it argued is “premature, unjustified, and adopted without due regard to the objective circumstances” of the conflict, which is approaching the 54-month mark.

Less than 48 hours before the IOC revealed its decision, Russia launched a deadly missile and drone attack at the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. As of Monday morning, 11 people were killed and 64 injured in the attack, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Under these circumstances, any decision that effectively paves the way for Russia’s full return to the international Olympic Movement contradicts not only the principles of justice but also the fundamental values of Olympism, which are founded on respect for human dignity, peace, and international law,” the Ukrainian Olympic committee added.

The committee also said it has “repeatedly submitted” evidence to the IOC that the ROC and organizations under its purview “continue to engage” in violations of Ukrainian territory.

The IOC clarified Tuesday its reversal does not indicate a change in its stance toward the war in Ukraine. The committee noted it “condemns wars, armed conflicts and violence that cause human suffering,” no matter where they occur.

“The IOC stands in solidarity with the Olympic community of Ukraine, which the Olympic Movement has supported since the beginning of the war, and will continue to do so,” the release added. “The IOC established a Solidarity Fund for Ukraine so that the athletes have support to overcome the tremendous challenges they continue to face.”

During the Winter Olympics earlier this year, the IOC disqualified Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych from competing due to his wearing a helmet honoring athletes and coaches killed by Russian strikes during the war.

Prior to the IOC banning Russia for the war in Ukraine, the World Anti-Doping Agency suspended Russia from international competition in 2019 due to revelations the country has a state-sponsored doping program.

Due to the policy, Russian athletes and teams competed under the ostensibly neutral ROC at the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. Across the two competitions, the ROC won a combined 103 medals.

The 2028 Summer Games will take place in the U.S. for the first time since 1996, when Atlanta hosted, and will mark the third time Los Angeles will host.

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