IOC lifts Russian Olympic Committee suspension ahead of 2028 games
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The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), which had been in place since October 2023.
The IOC said on July 7 that the decision followed a legal review that found the ROC "no longer includes as its members any regional sports organizations in territories falling under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine."
According to the IOC, the ROC also confirmed that it "does not, and will not, conduct any activities in these territories."
The suspension was originally imposed after the ROC incorporated sports organizations from occupied Ukrainian regions, a move the IOC said violated the territorial integrity of Ukraine's Olympic committee.
The IOC stressed that the decision does not mark the end of its oversight, saying it "will continue to closely monitor the situation" and reserves the right to take further action if necessary.
The move comes as international sports bodies have gradually eased some restrictions on Russian athletes since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, although participation in many competitions remains subject to neutral status or sport-specific rules.
Since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, hundreds of athletes and coaches have been killed and numerous sports facilities damaged or destroyed in Russian attacks.
