The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, the organization’s executive board announced Tuesday.
The suspension, which had been in place since October 2023, prevented the ROC from operating as a recognized national Olympic committee and receiving funding from the IOC. Just 32 athletes from Russia and Belarus competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics as individual neutral athletes.
The ROC’s suspension was due to its recognition of regional Olympic councils in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, including Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. The IOC said “following a thorough analysis by the IOC’s Legal Affairs Commission,” it determined the ROC no longer includes sports organizations from those territories and has pledged not to conduct activities there. The governing body said it will continue monitoring the ROC and could impose additional measures if necessary.
The decision was made in part because the qualification periods opened for both the LA28 Olympic Games and the Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games. The IOC in the announcement said it considered “the need to offer equal access to these competitions to all athletes.”
