IOC provisionally lifts suspension of Russian Olympic Committee ahead of 2028 Los Angeles Games

The International Olympic Committee announced it is provisionally lifting the suspension of Russia’s Olympic teams, clearing the way for the Russian Olympic Committee to participate in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The decision was announced Tuesday, and the IOC said it took the step after its legal affairs commission reviewed the status of the ROC and determined it no longer counts as a regional sports organization in Ukrainian territory as members of the Olympic Movement.

Under the IOC’s earlier action, Russia’s Olympic teams faced restrictions beginning in October 2023, more than a year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In the interim, the IOC allowed Russian athletes to compete at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris and at the Winter Games earlier this year in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, as individual neutral athletes.

The IOC said Tuesday that the lift is “provisional,” and it did not fully settle how Russian teams will be represented at Los Angeles 2028. In particular, the IOC said it has not decided whether athletes would compete with the Russian flag or under the Russian anthem, and it reiterated that it will not organize Olympic events in Russia nor invite Russian officials to Olympic events.

Ukraine’s Olympic committee said it “strongly disagrees” with the IOC decision, calling it premature and unjustified and saying it was adopted without due regard to the conflict’s circumstances. The Ukrainian committee criticized the IOC’s determination as inconsistent with the realities of the ongoing war, which multiple reports described as continuing as of the date of the IOC announcement.

Several reports noted the timing of the IOC’s announcement, coming shortly after Russia launched what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described as a deadly missile and drone attack on Kyiv. According to Zelensky, the attack killed 11 people and injured 64 others as of Monday morning, a context the reporting said was unfolding less than 48 hours before the IOC revealed its decision.

The IOC also said the lifting of the suspension is tied to its internal legal assessment of the ROC’s membership structure, rather than a blanket reversal of all conditions applied since 2023. As a result, the practical effect for athletes and national federations may depend on subsequent IOC determinations for formal team representation, including ceremonial and symbols, and on how Olympic sports bodies apply the IOC’s guidance to qualification and participation.

IOC officials indicated that while the ROC’s suspension is being provisionally lifted, the organization’s broader framework for eligibility and representation is still under review. That means athletes and federations may receive additional guidance in the lead-up to qualification events, particularly on the use of national symbols and the composition rules for team events at Los Angeles 2028.