International Olympic Committee reinstates Russian athletes without flag or anthem

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally suspended this Tuesday (7) the punishment imposed on the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), in a significant step towards Russia's reintegration into the Olympic movement before the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the ROC was suspended in October 2023 for recognizing regional Olympic councils in Ukrainian areas occupied by Russian forces - Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

The IOC said its executive board had decided to lift the suspension, but said it had not yet decided whether Russia would be able to display its flag, national colors or have its anthem played during the Games.

"We made it clear that all athletes had the possibility of competing in the Olympic Games. That is exactly what this decision represents. It allows Russian athletes to participate in sporting competitions. We consider it very important that athletes have this possibility," said IOC President Kirsty Coventry at a press conference.

According to Coventry, the entity will continue to closely monitor the situation involving Russia. "When we reinforced our neutrality rule, it became very clear that the selection would not only be based on sporting performance, but also on the ability to serve as an example," he declared.

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said the IOC decision should pave the way for the full return of Russian athletes to the international sporting scene.

"Our country's return to the Olympic family is a green light for international federations to reinstate all our athletes," said Degtyarev.

Russian athletes competed as neutrals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

In a statement, the IOC stated that the decision was taken after a detailed analysis by the entity's Legal Affairs Commission, taking into account that the ROC "no longer includes as members any regional sports organization in territories under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine."

In 2023, the IOC had declared that Russia's recognition of regional Olympic councils in occupied areas of Ukraine violated the Olympic Charter and the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee.

This Tuesday (7), the entity stated: "The ROC confirmed that it does not and will not carry out activities in these territories. The IOC Executive Board will continue to closely monitor the situation related to any ROC activity in these areas and reserves the right to adopt further measures if deemed necessary."

Doping scandals

In addition to the international isolation caused by the invasion of Ukraine, the return of Russian athletes to competitions comes under the weight of one of the biggest doping scandals in Olympic history.

Russia has been under heavy scrutiny since 2015, when a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found evidence of a systematic doping scheme in Russian athletics. Further investigations also revealed the existence of a state cover-up program related to the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

As a consequence, Russia was prevented from competing under its flag in several subsequent editions of the Games, and many athletes were only able to participate under conditions of neutrality. In 2019, WADA imposed a four-year suspension on the country after concluding that laboratory data had been manipulated in Moscow. The punishment was later reduced to two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Russian authorities have repeatedly denied the existence of a state doping program.

"We call for adequate testing to be carried out on Russian athletes who will participate in the Los Angeles 2028 Games," said Coventry.

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Source: CNN