“What changed?” is the most common reaction in the heated discussion on social media about the sudden decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to lift the suspension of Russia and pave the way for its athletes to participate in the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. And indeed, what has changed in the overall circumstances that have kept Russian athletes out of international sports competitions, including the Olympics, for the past decade?JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Almost nothing. Russia continues to wage an aggressive war against Ukraine, violating the fundamental documents of the international order, of which the Olympic Movement is a part. Russian athletes continue to have strong ties to state institutions, including the military, and serve as part of a propaganda system that justifies an aggressive war against another UN and IOC member state. Russia remains an unreliable player in the fight against doping in sport; moreover, its state system is the main stronghold of systematic doping of athletes, which is why Russia was initially excluded from international sport in 2016. The IOC Executive Board, however, claims that something has changed. It says that the Russian Olympic Committee “no longer includes, as its members, any regional sports organizations in territories falling under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.”
Did Putin Give Up Part of the Spoils of War in Ukraine Because of the Olympics in America?
Russia’s Olympic return appears to hinge on an IOC claim that Moscow quietly dropped its control over four occupied Ukrainian regions – a move that signals political maneuvering far beyond sport.
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