IOC moves to end Russian neutrality for LA Games
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- IOC advised Olympic sports bodies Tuesday to end a three-year program vetting Russians for neutral status ahead of qualifying events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
- IOC provisionally lifted its October 2023 suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, saying the original grounds — the ROC's incorporation of regional sports councils from occupied regions of Ukraine — no longer applied.
- IOC did not yet approve letting Russian athletes compete under their own flag and anthem, saying that decision will come "at an appropriate time."
- At the 2024 Paris Olympics, just 32 approved athletes from Russia and Belarus competed under neutral status and combined to win five medals, compared to Russia's 300+ athletes and 71 medals at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
- IOC said Russian athletes must submit to multiple doping controls and be part of a recognized testing program to address "the lack of confidence in the global sporting community relating to the return of Russian athletes."
- IOC said it will continue to "not organize IOC events in Russia or invite Russian government or state officials to its events."
- The next Olympic competition on the calendar is the 2026 Youth Summer Games in Dakar, Senegal, opening Oct. 31.
Why it matters: The decision opens the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes — who fielded only 32 neutral competitors and 5 medals at Paris 2024 versus 300+ athletes and 71 medals at Tokyo 2021 — to return at full scale before the 2028 LA Games. The deferred flag-and-anthem call preserves the IOC's political leverage while letting the competitive reintegration begin.
