Russia intensifies diplomatic campaign for the return of its flag and anthem to the 2028 Olympic Games
Russian officials have again openly announced the goal of having athletes from Russia appear at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 under the national flag and with the playing of the state anthem. According to a report by the Russian state agency TASS from Saint Petersburg, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on June 5, 2026, that "serious work" is being carried out on this, but at the same time stressed that it is too early to speak about the outcome. The statement was made in the context of discussions at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, a gathering at which Russia's political and business leadership has in recent years tried to show that Moscow, despite Western sanctions, is maintaining international channels of communication.
The message from Saint Petersburg is not an isolated statement, but part of a broader Russian campaign for full sporting reintegration after years of restrictions introduced because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to reports in Russian media, the same forum also included a discussion titled "Towards the 2028 Olympic Games", at which Dmitry Mazepin, head of the Russian Aquatics Federation, expressed hope that Russian athletes would compete in Los Angeles with state symbols. Such statements come at a time when some international sports federations are gradually easing restrictions, while the International Olympic Committee still officially maintains separate and strict conditions for Russian athletes in senior Olympic competitions.
What Moscow wants to achieve by Los Angeles
The Russian goal for the Games in Los Angeles is not only to increase the number of athletes who could pass qualifications, but to change their status. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes in many sports have been excluded from competitions or allowed to compete only under neutral status. In the Olympic framework, this means that they do not compete as a national team, do not use the national flag, anthem, colors or state insignia, and do not compete in team disciplines if the rules for individual neutral athletes are applied.
According to Peskov's statement published by TASS, Moscow believes that the return of national symbols is one of the key political and sporting goals before 2028. Such wording shows that the debate in Russia is not only about the participation of individual athletes, but about the symbolic recognition of Russian sport as a full-fledged part of the Olympic movement. For the Russian authorities, the flag and anthem have a much broader meaning than competition protocol: they represent the return of a status the country lost after a combination of sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine and earlier consequences of the systematic doping scandal.
At the same time, the Kremlin itself acknowledges that the final decision is not in its hands. Participation in the Olympic Games is decided by the International Olympic Committee, the Games organizers, international sports federations and the qualification systems of individual sports. This means that Russia's diplomatic campaign must simultaneously target several levels: political communication with the IOC, pressure through international federations, return to qualifying competitions and the removal of the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee.
Why the status of the Russian Olympic Committee is a special problem
The International Olympic Committee suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in October 2023. According to the IOC's explanation, on October 5, 2023, the Russian body unilaterally included regional sports organizations from Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, areas that the IOC recognizes as part of the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. The IOC then stated that such a move violates the Olympic Charter because it infringes on the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee.
This suspension significantly distinguishes the Russian case from some other debates about the return of athletes from states affected by political sanctions. Even if individual international federations allow Russian athletes to compete under national symbols in their competitions, the question of a full Olympic return remains linked to the status of the national Olympic committee. Without resolving that institutional dispute, it is difficult to imagine a classic Russian Olympic delegation such as existed before the series of sanctions.
The IOC has emphasized in earlier documents that it reserves the right to make specific decisions on the participation of individual neutral athletes with Russian passports for particular Olympic Games. That wording leaves room for changes, but does not provide an automatic guarantee that Russian athletes will return in a full state format. In practice, this means that the decision for Los Angeles 2028 will depend on the political development of the war, the IOC's attitude toward the Russian Olympic body, the position of international federations and any new recommendations from the IOC Executive Board.
The neutral model remains the IOC's starting point
After the start of the invasion, the International Olympic Committee first recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials not be invited to international competitions. After subsequent consultations within the Olympic movement, the IOC in 2023 opened a limited path of return for individual neutral athletes. According to the IOC's recommendations, athletes must not actively support the war in Ukraine, must not be linked to the military or state security structures, and must not compete as national teams.
That model was applied at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, and for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games the IOC announced that individual neutral athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports would be able to compete under the same basic conditions as in Paris. This includes eligibility checks, a ban on national symbols and separation from official delegations. For Moscow, it is precisely this model that is unacceptable as a long-term solution, because it allows athletes to compete but not the return of the Russian national team as a state entity.
Neutral status also does not remove political tensions. Ukrainian authorities and some Ukrainian athletes argue that sport cannot be separated from the war while Ukrainian cities, sports facilities and civilians are under attack. According to data from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, from February 2022 to the beginning of 2026 thousands of civilian casualties were confirmed in Ukraine, and the mission states that the real numbers are probably higher than the verified ones. This broader wartime context remains one of the main reasons why the return of Russian symbols to international sport is still perceived by part of the public as a political, not only a sporting, move.
The World Aquatics decision changed the tone of the debate
An important boost to Russian expectations came from World Aquatics. According to World Aquatics' official announcement of April 13, 2026, the guidelines for athlete participation during periods of political conflict no longer apply to senior athletes with Russian and Belarusian sporting nationality. The organization stated that the decision was made after consideration by its bureau, in consultation with the Aquatics Integrity Unit and the athletes' committee.
That decision practically means that Russian and Belarusian seniors in swimming, diving, artistic swimming, water polo and other disciplines under the umbrella of World Aquatics can return to competition without part of the previous restrictions. Associated Press and other media reported that the change includes the return of flags, anthems and national insignia in senior competitions under that organization's jurisdiction. For Russia, this is an important precedent because aquatic sports have great Olympic importance and a large number of medal disciplines.
Still, the World Aquatics decision does not automatically determine Russia's Olympic status in Los Angeles. The Olympic Games have their own qualification and status framework, and the IOC may retain special rules for athletes' participation at the Games even if an international federation applies a different model in regular competitions. That is precisely why Russian officials speak about diplomatic work, not about an already achieved return. A decision by an individual federation may be a signal of a change in mood in the sporting system, but it is not a substitute for the IOC's decision on Olympic participation.
Los Angeles 2028 as a key political and sporting target
The Olympic Games in Los Angeles will be the first Summer Games after Paris 2024 and the first major summer Olympic test for a new phase of the IOC's relationship toward Russian sport. According to official IOC information, Los Angeles is the host of the 2028 Games, and preparations include the sports program, qualification systems, ticket sales and organizational decisions that are gradually made several years in advance. For Russian athletes, this means that decisions on qualifications and international status must be clarified early enough for them to be able to participate in the qualification cycle.
Russian Sports Minister and Russian Olympic Committee President Mikhail Degtyarev already said in 2025, according to an Interfax report, that Russia wants a "full" participation in 2028: a national team, a flag and full restoration of status. The statements by Peskov and Mazepin from June 2026 fit into the same continuity. Moscow is trying to create the impression that a window for return is opening, especially after individual decisions by sports federations and changes in the tone of the debate about young athletes.
But between political desire and an Olympic decision there are several obstacles. Qualification systems for the Games in Los Angeles differ by sport, and a large number of places are won through world championships, continental competitions and ranking lists run by international federations. If Russian athletes in certain sports remain excluded from qualifications or can compete only in a limited format, the number of potential Olympic appearances will be reduced regardless of a later political decision. That is why the Russian campaign must also be directed at federations, not only at the top of the Olympic movement.
Ukrainian opposition and the question of the credibility of neutrality
Since the beginning of the invasion, Ukraine has opposed the return of Russian athletes under national insignia. The Ukrainian argument is based on the claim that the Russian state uses sport as part of international prestige and political legitimization. The Ukrainian Ministry of Youth and Sports maintains public records of Russian and Belarusian athletes whom it claims support the war or are linked to military and security structures. Such records are not IOC decisions, but they have become part of the pressure on international federations during neutrality checks.
That is exactly why the IOC introduced criteria in its recommendations relating to active support for the war and links with the military or security services. However, the implementation of those criteria remains complex. In some Russian sports, there are historically strong links between clubs, coaches and athletes and state structures, including military sports clubs. This raises the question of whether neutrality can be assessed only through an administrative check or requires a deeper analysis of public appearances, contractual relationships and institutional affiliation.
For the IOC, the dilemma is politically sensitive. The organization repeats the principle that athletes should not be punished solely because of their passport or the decisions of their governments, but at the same time it is trying to avoid a situation in which the Olympic stage would become a space for state propaganda. That is why the neutral model is a compromise that does not fully satisfy either Moscow or Kyiv. Russia considers it discriminatory and humiliating, while Ukraine and its supporters warn that even neutral status does not necessarily prevent the political instrumentalization of sport.
What full reinstatement would really mean
Full reinstatement of Russia in the Olympic sense would mean much more than permission for individuals to appear at competitions. It would imply a recognized delegation under the national Olympic committee, use of the flag and anthem, participation in team sports, presence at ceremonies and the entry of results into the official national medal table. Under the current framework, none of these elements is guaranteed for Russia.
Such a decision would also have consequences beyond sport. The return of Russia under state symbols would be interpreted as a sign that part of the international institutions is prepared to move away from the strictest sanctions models introduced after 2022. On the other hand, maintaining neutral status or suspension would send a message that the war in Ukraine continues to have direct consequences for Russian state institutions in sport. That is why the debate about Los Angeles 2028 already goes beyond the question of qualifications and medals.
According to available information, the IOC has not published a decision that would guarantee Russia a full return to the Games in Los Angeles. Documents and announcements so far show that the rules can change, but also that decisions are made gradually, with differentiation between the Russian and Belarusian cases and with separate consideration of youth, senior, individual and team competitions. That is why statements by Russian officials are primarily an announcement of a political and sporting offensive, not confirmation that the Russian flag will definitely return to Olympic venues in 2028.
The coming months will show the direction of Olympic policy
The most important indicators will be decisions by international federations on qualifications for Los Angeles, any new recommendations from the IOC Executive Board and the status of the Russian Olympic Committee. If the number of federations allowing Russian participation under national insignia increases, pressure on the IOC could grow. If the war continues without a political solution and if Ukrainian institutions continue to document the destruction of sports facilities and the deaths of athletes, opposition to the return of Russian symbols will remain strong.
At this moment, the most precise assessment is that Russia is actively working on a full return, but that the outcome has not been decided. Peskov's statement from Saint Petersburg confirms that the Kremlin has included the issue of Olympic symbols among its visible diplomatic priorities. The World Aquatics decision shows that part of the sporting system is already moving toward normalization. On the other hand, the IOC's official framework for Russian seniors is still marked by neutral status, eligibility checks and the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, which makes Los Angeles 2028 one of the most important tests of the relationship between sport, war and international politics.
Sources:
- TASS – Dmitry Peskov's statement on efforts to return the Russian flag and anthem to international sports competitions (link)
- Izvestia – report on Dmitry Mazepin's statement at the discussion on the 2028 Olympic Games in Saint Petersburg (link)
- International Olympic Committee – questions and answers on sanctions, neutral status and the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes (link)
- International Olympic Committee – decision on the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (link)
- International Olympic Committee – decision on individual neutral athletes for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games (link)
- World Aquatics – official announcement on the amendment of guidelines for Russian and Belarusian senior athletes in aquatic sports (link)
- UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine – summary of data on civilian casualties and the consequences of the war after four years of full-scale invasion (link)