Russia extends negotiations with the IOC and tries to open the path toward Los Angeles 2028
Russia's Olympic return is once again at the center of negotiations with the International Olympic Committee, but a decision that would allow athletes from Russia to compete under national symbols at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 has still not been made. According to available information, Moscow is trying to use the start of the qualification cycle for LA28 to gradually return Russian athletes to the international system, but the IOC is, for now, maintaining the restrictions introduced after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The situation is further complicated by the status of the Russian Olympic Committee, which has been suspended since October 2023 for violating the Olympic Charter, as well as unresolved issues linked to the Russian anti-doping system. Although the IOC eased its approach toward Belarus in early May, according to reports and publications by several international media outlets the same measures were not extended to Russia. This has left Russia's return to the Olympic movement postponed, and the negotiations have turned into a test of the relationship between sport, politics and the integrity of competition.
The difference between Belarus and Russia has become crucial
The latest shift took place on 7 May 2026, when the International Olympic Committee recommended to sports federations that they should no longer restrict the participation of Belarusian athletes exclusively to neutral status. According to an Associated Press report published by Al Jazeera, the IOC said that athletes from Belarus should again be able to compete with full national identity, without additional checks for neutral status. Such a recommendation is especially important because qualification for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 is entering an increasingly concrete phase, and international federations in many sports must decide under what conditions athletes will take part in qualification competitions. The IOC emphasized the principle that athletes' participation in international competitions should not be restricted solely because of the actions of their governments. But the Russian case, according to the same information, remains separate because the war in Ukraine is also linked to institutional issues within the Olympic and anti-doping system.
The Australian public broadcaster ABC reported that lifting restrictions on Belarus should open the way for Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flag and anthem, including in team events and LA28 qualification. At the same time, it was stated that this change does not automatically apply to Russia. It is precisely this difference that shows the IOC is trying to separate two connected, but legally and sportingly different, situations. Belarus was covered by sanctions because of its support for Russia in the war against Ukraine, while Russia is additionally burdened by the status of its own Olympic committee and long-running disputes over doping. For Russian authorities and sports officials, this means that it is no longer enough to seek the general lifting of wartime sanctions; they must convince the IOC and international federations that obstacles connected to governance, statutes and anti-doping credibility have also been removed.
The Russian Olympic Committee remains suspended
The Russian Olympic Committee was suspended on 12 October 2023 after it included in its membership regional sports organizations from areas of Ukraine that are under Russian occupation. According to the IOC's announcement at the time, such a move represented a violation of the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee and therefore a violation of the Olympic Charter. The consequence of the suspension was that the Russian Olympic Committee can no longer operate as a national Olympic committee within the Olympic movement or receive funding from the Olympic system. Although the IOC then stressed that the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee does not necessarily automatically mean the exclusion of individual athletes with Russian passports, Russia's institutional status has remained one of the main obstacles to a full return.
For participation at the Paris 2024 Games, the IOC opened a limited path for Russian and Belarusian athletes through the category of individual neutral athletes. These athletes were not allowed to compete under the national flag, were not allowed to use the anthem, could not participate as an official delegation in the opening ceremony, and those who publicly supported the war or were linked to Russian or Belarusian military and security structures were excluded. Associated Press reported in February 2026 that 13 Russian athletes competed at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games as individual neutral athletes. The same source recalled that Russian athletes had not competed at the Winter Olympic Games under the Russian flag since Sochi 2014, after which the consequences of the doping scandal gradually merged with later sporting sanctions because of the war in Ukraine.
Anti-doping issues are again holding back the decision
The question of Russia's return is further burdened by new allegations concerning the Russian anti-doping system. The Guardian reported on 7 May 2026 that Russia's return to international sport had been postponed after claims linked to Veronika Loginova, the director general of the Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA. According to that report, the IOC expressed concern over allegations relating to a possible cover-up of doping results from the period of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games. IOC President Kirsty Coventry stated, according to The Guardian, that these allegations had caused great concern and led to the World Anti-Doping Agency considering a potential doping case. WADA, according to the same report, said it had taken the allegations seriously and had forwarded them to its independent intelligence and investigations department.
Loginova, according to The Guardian, rejected the accusations and claimed that during the Sochi Games she was not involved in the work of the anti-doping laboratory or in collecting and testing samples. Nevertheless, the mere existence of new allegations is enough to make the decision on Russia's status even more politically and sportingly sensitive. WADA has previously conducted proceedings connected with RUSADA, and the agency's official announcements show that the Russian anti-doping agency challenged findings of non-compliance and the proposed conditions for returning to full status. Since the Olympic return is viewed not only through the question of the war but also through the question of the credibility of competition, the anti-doping system remains one of the most important criteria for assessment. For the IOC, a premature decision, without a clear position from WADA, would create the risk that a sporting return could be interpreted as a concession before all circumstances had been verified.
Moscow claims the obstacles have been removed
Russian sports officials have in recent months tried to present the return as a legal issue which, from their point of view, should already have been resolved. The Guardian reported a statement by Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev, who claims that the Russian Olympic Committee submitted to the IOC an extensive set of documents which, according to the Russian side, show that there are no longer legal reasons to continue the suspension. Degtyarev called the decision to link the return to additional issues unacceptable and said that the procedure for restoring status had been postponed without reason. Such rhetoric fits into Russia's broader strategy of putting pressure on international sports institutions, especially at a time when qualification for Los Angeles is approaching.
But the IOC and international federations are not deciding only on the formal status of one national Olympic committee. The decision on Russia's return has consequences for competition security, relations with Ukraine, the credibility of the anti-doping system, the rights of athletes who are not directly responsible for government decisions, and the political legitimacy of the Olympic movement. For that reason, negotiations on Russia's status cannot be reduced to a simple question of permission or ban. Even if the IOC at some point eases its own policy, each international sports federation retains an important role in determining conditions for its own competitions and qualifications. This means that Russia's return, if it happens, could be uneven: faster in some sports, slower or completely blocked in others.
International federations will not necessarily follow the IOC
The reaction of World Athletics shows how complex the system is. ABC reported a statement by a World Athletics spokesperson according to which the sanctions introduced in March 2022, which exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes, officials and support personnel from competitions, remain in force as a consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to the same report, World Athletics does not intend to automatically follow the IOC's recommendation for Belarus. The Guardian also reported that World Athletics will not open the door to either Russia or Belarus until there is visible progress toward peace negotiations in Ukraine. Such a position is especially important because athletics is one of the most visible Olympic sports and because its decision carries strong symbolic weight.
On the other hand, some federations have already eased their approach or opened limited qualification pathways for athletes from Russia and Belarus. Associated Press reported that many winter sports ahead of the Games in Milan and Cortina allowed Russian athletes to participate in qualifications, partly after legal defeats of policies of complete bans. ABC also stated that World Aquatics had already lifted certain restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes. Such differences among federations show that the IOC can set a general framework, but cannot completely remove the political, legal and reputational risks that appear in individual sports. For Russian athletes, this means uncertainty: the path toward LA28 will not depend only on a decision in Lausanne, but also on the rules of each individual federation.
Ukraine warns of political consequences
The Ukrainian side strongly opposes easing restrictions on Russian athletes while the war continues. Associated Press reported in February 2026 statements by Ukrainian Minister of Youth and Sports Matviy Bidnyi, who warned that easing the measures would be irresponsible and could look like legitimizing Russian aggression. Bidnyi said that pressure must be maintained until the war ends, stressing that sporting sanctions are an important diplomatic tool for Ukraine. AP also recalled that Ukrainian sport is suffering the direct consequences of the war, from destroyed infrastructure and interrupted training to athletes who have been displaced or mobilized. In such a context, the return of Russian symbols to Olympic arenas would not be only a sporting decision for Kyiv, but a political message.
The IOC is caught between two opposing principles. On the one hand, the Olympic movement formally defends the right of athletes to compete without political pressure and without collective punishment for government decisions. On the other hand, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the use of sport in state propaganda create pressure on international organizations not to enable normalization before the end of the war, or at least before a clear political shift. The new direction under President Kirsty Coventry, according to AP reports, emphasizes a return of focus to sport, but also acknowledges that the IOC does not operate in a political vacuum. This very tension explains why decisions are made gradually, why Belarus is treated differently from Russia, and why Los Angeles 2028 is becoming the key point for the next phase of the debate.
Los Angeles 2028 as the ultimate goal
The Olympic Games in Los Angeles will be held in 2028, and the IOC is already publishing qualification systems, schedule information and organizational preparations on the official LA28 pages. For Russian athletes and officials, LA28 is precisely the more realistic goal than a full return before the end of the current Olympic cycle. If the Russian Olympic Committee were restored to full status, and international federations accepted participation under national symbols, Russia could return as a full delegation. But currently, according to available information, such a scenario has not been confirmed and depends on several interconnected decisions. Among them are the status of the Russian Olympic Committee, WADA's position on RUSADA, the IOC's security and political criteria, and the decisions of individual sports federations.
The most likely short-term outcome remains the continuation of the limited model in which individual Russian athletes can compete only if they meet neutrality conditions and if the relevant international federation allows them to do so. A full return under the Russian flag would require a much broader consensus than currently exists. The easing toward Belarus shows that the IOC's policy can change, but at the same time it also shows the limits of such an approach when additional legal, anti-doping and political obstacles are present. That is why negotiations continue, and Los Angeles 2028 remains the goal toward which Moscow is directing its pressure. Until then, every new move by the IOC, WADA, World Athletics and other federations will be part of a broader struggle over whether Russian sport can return to the international arena without undermining trust in the Olympic system.
Sources:
- Inside The Games – report on the continuation of Russian talks with the IOC and the effort to open a path toward Los Angeles 2028. (link)
- International Olympic Committee – announcement on the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee from 12 October 2023. (link)
- International Olympic Committee – questions and answers on sanctions against Russia and Belarus and the status of neutral athletes. (link)
- The Guardian – report on the postponement of Russia's return because of new allegations linked to the anti-doping system. (link)
- ABC News Australia – report on the IOC recommendation to lift restrictions on Belarusian athletes and the reaction of World Athletics. (link)
- Associated Press – report on Ukrainian criticism of a possible easing of restrictions on Russian athletes and the status of neutral athletes. (link)
- World Anti-Doping Agency – official information on the RUSADA non-compliance procedure and the referral of the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. (link)
- LA28 / International Olympic Committee – official information on preparations and the qualification framework for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028. (link)