Belarus calls for faster return of athletes to international competitions after IOC shift
The Belarusian Ministry of Sport has called on international sports federations to follow the new recommendation of the International Olympic Committee and lift the remaining restrictions on Belarusian athletes. Deputy Minister of Sport and Tourism Aleksandr Baraulya told the Belarusian state agency BelTA that the IOC had “made its move”, but that the decision itself still does not mean an automatic return to all sports. His statement comes after the IOC Executive Board announced that it no longer recommends restrictions on the participation of Belarusian athletes, including teams, in competitions under the authority of international federations and sports event organizers. This has opened a new phase in the debate that has continued since 2022, when Russia and Belarus, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Minsk’s role in that war, faced sporting sanctions.
According to the IOC announcement, the new recommendation applies to Belarus, but not to Russia. The Board stressed that the situation of the Russian Olympic Committee differs from that of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus, among other things because of the suspension of the Russian Olympic body and additional issues connected with the Russian anti-doping system. In practice, this means that international federations now have a political and procedural basis for normalizing the status of Belarusian athletes, but they retain their own authority over entry rules, qualifications, flags, anthems, team appearances and official delegations. For that reason, the reaction of individual sports has so far been uneven.
Baraulya told BelTA that the return process had already accelerated, but added that several federations had still not changed their rules. He singled out ice hockey, athletics and biathlon as sports in which, according to him, the Belarusian side still does not see the expected progress. He also stated that handball and basketball have so far opened only a partial return, mainly for younger categories or limited competition formats. This shows that the IOC decision acts as a signal that each federation interprets according to its own rules, security assessments and position toward the war in Ukraine.
The IOC decision does not automatically return athletes to all competitions
The International Olympic Committee announced on 7 May 2026 that it no longer recommends restrictions on the participation of Belarusian athletes and teams in international competitions. The statement emphasized that athletes’ participation should not be restricted because of the actions of their governments, including involvement in war or conflict. That wording marks a departure from the policy introduced after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, when many sports organizations, on the IOC’s recommendation, excluded Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions or allowed them to compete only under neutral status.
According to reports by Euronews and other international media, Belarusian athletes competed in significantly limited numbers and without state symbols during the latest Olympic cycles. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, they were able to compete as individual neutral athletes, without the Belarusian flag, anthem and standard national team. The IOC has now assessed that such a general recommendation is no longer necessary for Belarus, especially ahead of the qualification period for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympic Games.
Nevertheless, the decision does not mean that all international federations are obliged to change their regulations immediately. In the Olympic system, many qualifications, world and continental championships, and professional calendars depend on the rules of individual federations. Federations may keep stricter measures, ease them only for certain age groups or disciplines, and set special conditions for coaches, official staff and national federations. Baraulya pointed precisely to that difference, claiming that Belarusian sports federations continue to actively address international bodies in order to speed up their return to competitions.
The Belarusian side presents the IOC decision as an important diplomatic and sporting shift. In his interview with BelTA, the deputy minister said that Belarusian athletes and fans had welcomed the decision positively and that some federations had already reacted. At the same time, however, he admitted that in a number of sports the rules had still not changed or had been eased only partially. He thereby confirmed that the real return will not take place through a single administrative move, but through a series of separate decisions, sport by sport.
Athletics remains one of the main examples of resistance
One of the most important exceptions for now is athletics. World Athletics imposed sanctions on the Belarus Athletic Federation back in 2022, stating that the measures would apply while Russia’s war against Ukraine continued, with Belarus’s support. The sanctions include the exclusion of Belarusian athletes and official staff from World Athletics competitions, as well as restrictions on the Belarusian federation, including a ban on hosting international athletics events and participation in certain development and governance processes. World Athletics documents confirm that these decisions are separate from anti-doping issues and are connected precisely with the war in Ukraine.
After the new IOC recommendation, British and Ukrainian media reported that World Athletics had not changed its position. The organization’s president Sebastian Coe had previously emphasized that decisions could be reviewed only when there was tangible progress toward peace negotiations. Such a position shows that part of the sports system still believes that the issue of Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation cannot be separated from the political and security context of the war. For Belarusian athletes, this means that, despite the new IOC recommendation, a return to major international athletics competitions remains uncertain.
Athletics is especially important because it is among the most visible Olympic sports and directly affects qualifications for Los Angeles 2028. If the ban remains in force, Belarusian athletes could lose access to key qualification competitions, ranking lists and world championships. On the other hand, keeping the sanctions gives World Athletics the opportunity to maintain a consistent policy toward Russia and Belarus, regardless of the change in the IOC recommendation. Such a gap could become one of the main open questions in the Olympic movement in the coming months.
Handball, basketball and aquatics show different models of return
The International Handball Federation announced in March 2026 that Russian and Belarusian youth national teams could gradually return to international handball through friendly matches and tournaments organized by themselves. According to the IHF, the decision applies to all youth age groups up to and including the U21 category, but on the condition that athletes, coaches and staff members sign a declaration that they are not connected with military or state security agencies and that they are not involved in international conflicts. At the same time, the IHF stated that the other measures from the March 2022 decision remain in force until further notice.
In basketball, according to available information, only limited room has been opened for the return of younger 3x3 teams. Eurohoops reported that FIBA, by exceptional approval, allowed Russian and Belarusian U21 teams to participate in certain conferences of the 3x3 Youth Nations League in China and Malaysia. This does not represent a full return of senior national teams, but rather the testing of gradual reintegration in a narrower, younger and organizationally controlled format. Baraulya cited precisely such an approach as an example of insufficient, but still visible progress.
The aquatics sector has gone the furthest. According to reports by international media, World Aquatics allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes in April 2026 to return under national symbols, including flags and anthems, with conditions connected to anti-doping testing and eligibility checks. That decision drew criticism from Ukrainian athletes and part of the public because it was made while the war in Ukraine was still ongoing. At the same time, it showed that some federations believe competitive sport can gradually return toward the standard model, with special controls for athletes and support staff.
The differences between these sports explain why the Belarusian return cannot simply be described as the lifting of a ban. Handball has focused on youth categories and friendly events, basketball on selective 3x3 formats, aquatics on a broader return of national symbols, while athletics maintains its ban. For athletes, coaches and national federations, this creates a very complex calendar in which status depends on each discipline, age, type of competition and the position of the international federation.
Belarus continues cooperation with Russia despite opening toward the world
In his interview with BelTA, Baraulya emphasized that Belarusian sports cooperation with Russia would not be interrupted even if international bans were gradually lifted. He said that the sports ministries of the two countries had coordinated joint plans and competition calendars since 2022 so that athletes could maintain form under conditions of isolation. As one of the main joint projects, he singled out the Cup of the Strongest Athletes, in which, according to him, not only Belarusian and Russian competitors take part, but athletes from other countries are also invited.
According to Baraulya, the summer season brings competitions in 15 sports, seven of which are expected to be held in Belarus. As the first event, he mentioned the Cup of the Strongest Athletes in fencing in Minsk at the end of May. Such competitions have a dual function for Belarus. On the one hand, they help athletes maintain a competitive rhythm after years of a limited international calendar. On the other hand, they serve as a political and sporting message that Minsk and Moscow continue to develop parallel formats even while seeking a return to the global sports system.
In 2022, Belarus allowed its territory to be used as a launch point for Russian forces in the invasion of Ukraine, which was one of the key reasons for the joint treatment of Russian and Belarusian sport in the first sanctions decisions. Although the new IOC recommendation separates Belarus’s status from Russia’s status, that historical and political context cannot be completely erased from the debate. For that reason, international sport is simultaneously opening the door to Belarusian athletes and maintaining caution toward the institutional ties between Minsk and Moscow.
The Olympic cycle toward Los Angeles 2028 puts pressure on federations
The timing of the IOC decision is important because qualification processes for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympic Games are gradually entering a concrete phase. If the status of Belarusian athletes is not clarified in time, many could miss qualification tournaments, continental championships or competitions that award points for Olympic ranking lists. Baraulya said that Belarus had already approved a comprehensive preparation plan for the new Olympic cycle, with emphasis on qualification competitions, organization of training and the responsibilities of individual structures. According to him, lifting the restrictions should enable the gradual return of Belarusian athletes to international sport.
In the same interview, he also referred to the winter Olympic appearance in Italy, where Belarusian athletes did not win a medal. As one of the reasons, he cited a lack of international competitive experience, claiming that some athletes gained access to qualification tournaments too late compared with their competitors. That argument fits into the broader Belarusian message to international federations: that formally allowing participation is not enough if athletes do not have enough time for preparation, scoring and a return to a normal competition rhythm.
For the IOC and international federations, the key challenge will be aligning the principle of universal access to sport with the reactions of Ukraine and countries that believe full normalization must not happen while the war continues. Practice so far shows that the Olympic movement is not acting uniformly. The IOC now advocates the lifting of general restrictions for Belarus, but World Athletics keeps the ban, the IHF has chosen the gradual return of younger selections, and other federations are choosing their own models. Such fragmentation may last for months, especially in sports where qualification systems begin earlier.
For Belarusian athletes, the next steps will be practical: determine in which sports they can return under the state flag, where only neutral or limited participation is possible, and where bans remain complete. For international federations, pressure will grow as Los Angeles 2028 approaches, because every delay will have direct consequences for qualifications. That is why Baraulya’s message is not only a reaction to the IOC decision, but also a public call to federations to determine the rules of the game for the entire Olympic cycle as soon as possible.
Sport remains a space of diplomatic rivalry
The debate about Belarus shows how closely international sport remains connected with the war in Ukraine and broader diplomatic relations. In its new recommendation, the IOC is trying to separate athletes’ responsibility from the actions of governments, while some federations believe that the institutional context is still decisive. Ukrainian athletes and officials have warned in similar cases that the return of Russian and Belarusian symbols may be used for political promotion, especially while attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and sports facilities continue. On the other hand, Belarusian authorities claim that the bans are unfair to athletes who want to compete and qualify on the field.
The IOC decision can therefore be viewed as a turning point, but not as the end of the process. Belarus has gained a strong argument for demands toward federations, and some sports have already changed their practice. Still, there is no single return calendar, no common list of conditions and no guarantee that all federations will accept the same interpretation. In the coming months, the real scope of the change will be visible through registrations for international championships, qualification tournaments, decisions of disciplinary bodies and reactions from countries that oppose normalization.
For now, it is most accurate to say that Belarusian sport has left one phase of isolation, but has not entered a fully normalized regime. The IOC has changed its recommendation, the Belarusian ministry is calling for faster moves by federations, and the international sports system remains divided. In such circumstances, Baraulya’s statement reflects Minsk’s expectation that the decision of the Olympic leadership will produce a domino effect. Whether that will happen will depend on each individual sport, political pressure and the development of the war that led to the sanctions in the first place.
Sources:
- International Olympic Committee – statement on the new recommendation for the participation of Belarusian athletes and teams (link)
- BelTA – interview with Belarusian Deputy Minister of Sport and Tourism Aleksandr Baraulya about the IOC decision and the return of Belarusian athletes (link)
- Euronews – report on the IOC decision, the distinction between the status of Belarus and Russia, and the Olympic context (link)
- International Handball Federation – decision on the gradual return of Russian and Belarusian youth handball national teams (link)
- World Athletics – sanctions against the Belarus Athletic Federation and continuation of restrictions connected with the war in Ukraine (link)
- World Athletics – Council decisions on the status of Russian and Belarusian athletes in athletics (link)