Russia’s return to the Olympics: will the flag and national anthem be permitted following the IOC’s decision?

This has been reported by the International Olympic Committee.

The IOC Executive Board stated that, following a legal review, it had temporarily lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee’s membership. The committee explained that this was because the Russian Olympic Committee no longer includes sports organisations in territories under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, and confirmed that it does not carry out any activities there.

It was precisely because of the inclusion of sports organisations from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine that the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee’s membership in 2023, citing this as a violation of the Olympic Charter.

Does this mean the return of the flag and anthem?

No. The IOC’s decision does not mean that Russian athletes have already been granted the right to compete at the 2028 Olympics under the Russian flag, with the national anthem and state symbols.

The IOC has stated that the question of whether Russian athletes and teams will be allowed to participate under the Russian flag and with the national anthem will be decided separately. In other words, the current decision paves the way for a review of the restrictions, but does not mark Russia’s full return to the Olympic Games in their pre-war format.

Who will decide the athletes’ fate

Following the temporary reinstatement of the ROC’s membership, the IOC has withdrawn its previous recommendations regarding special neutral admission for Russian athletes. At the same time, final decisions on athletes’ participation in specific international competitions are to be taken by international sports federations and tournament organisers.

This means that the return of Russian athletes may be uneven: in some sports, restrictions may be eased, whilst in others they may remain in place. In particular, certain federations continue to maintain their own bans or special conditions for the admission of Russian athletes due to the war against Ukraine.

How Russian athletes competed previously

Following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian athletes were barred from many international tournaments or were only allowed to compete under neutral status.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, they were only allowed to compete as individual neutral athletes — without a flag, national anthem or Russian state symbols. Team competitions were off-limits to them.

What about Belarusian athletes?

Separately, the IOC had previously recommended lifting restrictions on Belarusian athletes, paving the way for their return to international competition, including the qualifying tournaments for the 2028 Olympics.

The Ukrainian NOC expressed deep disappointment at this approach at the time and emphasised that Belarus continues to support Russian aggression against Ukraine and is an accomplice to the war.

How Ukraine reacted

The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine described the IOC’s decision regarding Russia as premature and lodged a strong protest.

The Ukrainian NOC stated that it had repeatedly provided the IOC with evidence that the Russian Olympic Committee and the sports organisations under its control continue to engage in activities that violate the territorial jurisdiction of the Ukrainian NOC and the provisions of the Olympic Charter.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also called on international sports federations to maintain restrictions on Russian athletes and to prevent the return of Russian state symbols to international competitions.

The key decision will now rest with the IOC and the international federations. The mere fact that the Russian Olympic Committee’s membership has been temporarily reinstated does not guarantee that the Russian flag and anthem will feature at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

All that is known at present is that the IOC has paved the way for a review of the restrictions, but the final format of Russia’s participation in the Games has not yet been approved.

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