IOC moves closer to reinstating Russia by LA28, but backlash may put its return on ice

"A massive international outcry following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a war that will enter its fifth year two days after the closing ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Games, forced most major international sports bodies to ban all Russian athletes from competition. The IOC has allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in Italy as individual neutral athletes, which means they cannot compete on teams nor wear their national team colors or flag."

""We are a sports organization. We understand politics and we know we don't operate in a vacuum," she said. "But our game is sport. That means keeping sport a neutral ground. A place where every athlete can compete freely, without being held back by the politics or divisions of their governments.""

IOC leaders appear ready to lift suspensions on Russia and Belarus, potentially clearing the way for those athletes to return to major international competitions by the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Plans encountered resistance after international support for Ukrainian skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified at the Milan-Cortina Games for refusing to compete without a helmet showing images of people killed in the Russian invasion. IOC President Kirsty Coventry emphasized keeping sport a neutral ground and declined to provide a timeline for reinstatement. The IOC permitted Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in Italy only as individual neutral athletes without national colors, flags, or team participation. The wartime conditions that prompted suspensions remain unchanged.

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