The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is slowly but surely being reintroduced to the mainstream of the Olympics. After the ROC recognized regional Olympic councils from four Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, breaching the Olympic Charter during the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended them on October 12, 2023. Now, after almost three years,  that ban has been provisionally overturned, but this comes with its own specifications. On July 7, the IOC Executive Board voted to reinstate the ROC, having found no further reason for the suspension. The IOC issued a statement about the matter.

“The decision was taken following a thorough analysis by the IOC’s Legal Affairs Commission, considering that the ROC no longer includes as its members any regional sports organizations in territories falling under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.”

But this does not mean that Russian athletes are now fully back in the Olympics. While the ROC is no longer suspended, the IOC has only removed its previous recommendations. Each International Federation will still decide its own rules on Russian participation in the games. The IOC also made it clear that a final decision on Russia’s Olympic identity has yet to be made.

“IOC will take a decision in relation to the display of the Russian flag, anthem, colours or any identifications for the Olympic Games at the appropriate time.”

Even with the reinstatement, some restrictions remain firmly in place.

 The IOC confirmed that it will continue not to organize events in Russia. They will also not invite the Russian government or state officials to IOC events. This begs the question: why decide to reintroduce the ROC now?

The timing is closely linked to the next Olympic cycle. With qualification events for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and the 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games starting, the IOC has argued that athletes should have access to qualification regardless of government decisions. IOC President Kirsty Coventry conveyed this at a news conference, per Al Jazeera.

“We don’t condone any wars, including this one. We will continue to support Ukraine like we have since this started. But I don’t believe athletes should pay the price.”

The organization also cited recent experiences where athletes from Russia and Belarus participated in the Paris 2024 Olympics and the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in a neutral capacity. Russian Sports Minister and ROC president Mikhail Degtyarev described it as an important step toward restoring Russia’s place in international sport.

“The IOC’s decision will significantly speed up this process,” Degtyarev said.

Degtyarev added that the International Testing Agency will be testing athletes returning to competition until the Russian Anti-Doping Agency can be reinstated. The RADA was suspended after their director general was suspected to be involved in a drug testing cover-up in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

However, the latest action by the IOC is not an isolated incident. In fact, some international federations have begun to soften the restrictions against Russian and Belarusian athletes this year.

World Aquatics and ISU paved the way before the IOC decision

On April 13, 2026, World Aquatics was the first major Olympic federation to completely reinstate Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competition. The ruling permitted the athletes of both nations to compete under their national flags, wear their national uniforms, and hear their national anthems at events. They were also reinstated as full members of World Aquatics.

A little more than two months later, the International Skating Union announced its own step toward reinstatement. On June 30, 2026, the governing body confirmed that Russian and Belarusian figure skaters would be allowed to return to international competition beginning with the 2026-27 season.

The ISU’s strategy is more reserved than the swimmers, however. Athletes will be playing in a neutral capacity. The ISU also said that there may be more changes in the future, as long as there are “no safety or integrity issues” raised.

The decisions by World Aquatics and the ISU marked a larger trend in international sport, months before the IOC’s decision to lift the ban on the Russian Olympic Committee. This will provide an opportunity for Russian athletes to re-enter the general channels of Olympic participation without bans and extreme restrictions.