Olympic movements: what changes the restoration of Russian sports rights

The IOC Executive Committee has published a long-awaited decision to reinstate Russia, which was temporarily stripped of membership in the organization on October 12, 2023 for "violating the territorial integrity of the NOC of Ukraine." All ambiguous legal issues were resolved at the end of 2024, but the IOC commission considered it possible to respond to them only after a year and a half. Nevertheless, this is an important step towards lifting sanctions from our sport, although many of them remain in force. So far, Lausanne has not made a clear decision on the return of the flag to the Russians, the right to compete in team disciplines and to hold international competitions on its territory. In addition, it is unclear whether the new reality will convince the international federations to continue the process of our full-fledged return in individual sports.

The weakening is evident

On July 7, the IOC Executive Board temporarily lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), which had been in effect since October 12, 2023.

Photo: Global Look Press/Mandoga Media

"The decision was made after a thorough analysis by the IOC Legal Affairs Commission," the official statement said.

The release also explains that the recommended conditions of participation for Russian athletes and teams, including "protective measures", no longer apply. A decision on the display of the Russian flag, anthem, colors or any other national symbols at the Olympics will be made later. All our athletes returning to international competitions must meet the anti-doping requirements. The IOC will not yet hold events under its auspices in the Russian Federation and does not intend to invite Russian government officials to its meetings.

Russian Sports Minister and head of the ROC Mikhail Degtyarev added a few details in his social networks.

— All checks on the neutrality of Russian athletes have been canceled. Athletes returning to the international arena will be temporarily tested by the ITA (International Testing Agency) until RUSADA is reinstated, this process is already in full swing," Degtyarev wrote.

And, although the IOC's official statement does not directly state this, the minister probably has more information. Anyway, the sanctions have been eased, and our athletes will definitely compete under their own flag at the Youth Olympics in Senegal next fall.

"The decisions taken give new hopes," three—time Olympic champion, Deputy chairman of the Russian Ski and Snowboard Federation Elena Vyalbe told Izvestia. — These are good bells.

A lot of work

The IOC said that the organization wants to make sure that all athletes have the opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games and not be responsible for the actions of their governments.

"This allows Russians to participate in competitions, but we also note that we do not support military actions around the world,— the IOC said in a statement. — We will continue to adhere to this line. We will also not change the recommendations regarding Russian government officials. There is no decision yet on holding events in Russia under the auspices of the IOC. The same applies to the issues of the flag and the anthem, we will postpone this decision for the future. But it was important to give the Russians the opportunity to compete again.

The formal reasons for our suspension have disappeared, but the IOC apparently wants to extend the full restoration of the rights of Russians for a longer period. We will also have to add to it the time for the lifting of sanctions by international federations, which operate autonomously and also slowly.

"The return of our country to the Olympic family is a green light for international federations to restore the rights of all our athletes," Mikhail Degtyarev wrote on social media. According to him, now there is a lot of work to be done so that the IOC decisions begin to take effect at the level of international federations. At the same time, the minister stressed that the International Olympic Committee has given a clear signal: the Olympic movement must remain outside politics.

"It's great that the IOC has given such a signal, but we can't flatter ourselves," Nikolai Valuev, former world boxing champion and deputy of the Russian State Duma, told Izvestia. "It's a back—and-forth swing." I think it's too early to throw out the holiday flags. Let's take it in a working order.

A strategy of small steps

Indeed, the lifting of the political ban from the ROC clearly corresponds to the thesis of the neutrality of sport, which is now spelled out in the Olympic Charter. Another question is that the IOC Executive Committee is afraid of sudden movements and how it can delay the issue of the complete lifting of sanctions against Russia, which will definitely cause a violent negative reaction in the unfriendly countries of the Western camp. Therefore, the flag, unlike Belarus, has not yet been returned to us.

And it's hard to say how long such a "small-step strategy" will take. It took Lausanne a year and a half to solve the seemingly obvious issue with OCD documents. It is scary to imagine how much it will take for more debatable solutions, multiplied by the anti-doping nagging and resistance of Russophobes in international federations and Western politicians in the venues of major competitions.

—The international federations will receive a decision and will think about how to proceed with this,— said IOC President Kirsty Coventry. — As for restrictions and their removal, it was important to make sure that we have a safe space for sports. Therefore, additional measures have been taken to ensure that Russian athletes can be tested for doping correctly before returning to world sport.

According to the head of the IOC, each international federation has its own rules, but the committee expects that its recommendations will be taken into account. She also noted that the International Testing Agency (ITA) will continue to play an important role in the run-up to the Los Angeles Olympics if the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) still does not meet the established criteria by then.

— The situation has moved from a dead end, it's already good, — Tatyana Tarasova, Honored coach of the USSR in figure skating, told Izvestia. — We will see what will be done in this direction. Will the federations listen? Of course! But where can they go? It's high time to remove the restrictions! We won the right to compete for ourselves, but they took it away from us. They just took it away. Although there are no such rules. It's time to leave us alone. I'm tired of this topic. Stop ruining the lives of outstanding athletes and coaches.

At the moment, only seven summer Olympic sports federations have fully lifted sanctions against Russians. In most organizations, the principle of admission in a neutral status applies, which now seems to be supposed to become a formality. But in such sports as athletics, biathlon, surfing, ice hockey and football, our total ban continues (including for juniors, from whom the IOC recommended lifting restrictions back in December last year).

But now at least we have an official document that allows us to insist on respecting the rights of Russians, including in arbitration. And that's a lot after four and a half years of sanctions.