IOC provisionally lifts ban on Russian Olympic Committee
· RTE.ieThe International Olympic Committee provisionally lifted its ban on the Russian Olympic Committee on Tuesday, paving the way for a return to international competitions including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
The IOC said its executive board had decided to provisionally end the suspension in place since 2023 but that there was no decision yet on whether Russia could display its flag, colours and anthem at the Olympic Games.
Russians competed as neutrals at the 2024 Paris Olympics and at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev said the IOC's decision should clear the way for Russian athletes to make a full return to the international sporting stage.
"Our country's return to the Olympic family is a green light for international federations to reinstate all our athletes," Degtyarev said.
Russian athletes competed as neutrals at the 2024 Paris Olympics and at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.
"The decision was taken following a thorough analysis by the IOC's Legal Affairs Commission, considering that the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) no longer includes as its members any regional sports organisations in territories falling under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine," the IOC said in a statement.
The IOC said in 2023 that Russia recognising regional Olympic councils in occupied parts of Ukraine had violated the Olympic Charter and the territorial integrity of Ukraine’s Olympic Committee.
On Tuesday it said: "The ROC confirmed that it does not, and will not, conduct any activities in these territories. The IOC EB 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."