The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, which should mean the return of Russia to the Summer Olympic Games in 2028 in Los Angeles. The decision was made after "a thorough analysis considering that the ROC no longer includes as its members any regional sports organisations in territories falling under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine".
This comes months after IOC did the same for Belarus, allowing their athletes to participate with their national flag and anthem, and joins other organisations like World Aquatics or the Paralympic Committee, which already allowed Russian athletes in the Winter Olympic Games in February, which caused significant backlash.
"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," IOC President Kirsty Coventry said in a press conference. "We don't want to hold athletes accountable for the actions of their government."
IOC's ban on Russian Olympic Committee had been in effect since 12 October 2023, after Russian's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The organisation also appreciated that the Russian Olympic Committee said they won't conduct any activities in Ukrainian territories.