Russia’s return to international sports competition was already well underway long before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally lifted its ban on the Russian and Belarusian Olympic Committees this July.
The shift began in September 2025, when the International Paralympic Committee voted against maintaining its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, paving the way for them to compete at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Paralympic Games, where Russian competitors won eight gold medals.
By December, the IOC recommended that international federations lift their bans on Russian and Belarusian youth athletes.
However, some individual governing bodies acted even earlier. The International Judo Federation became the first to restore full participation rights to senior Russian athletes in November of last year. World Taekwondo followed this January by approving the full return of both junior and senior athletes from Russia and Belarus.
Since then, eight additional Olympic sports federations have restored full participation rights to Russian athletes and teams, allowing the use of the Russian flag, national anthem and team uniforms.
