IOC advises sports bodies to let Russians compete in youth events again with flag and anthem

GENEVA — The IOC took a big step toward reintegrating Russia and Belarus into world sports Thursday by advising governing bodies to let the countries’ teams and athletes compete in international youth events with their full identity of national flag and anthem.

Athletes have “a fundamental right to access sport across the world, and to compete free from political interference or pressure from governmental organizations,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement.

That message in support of athletes will be welcomed in Russia and Israel, whose athletes have faced recent discrimination, and comes less than three years out from the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games that risks facing political crosswinds in the United States.

The updated Olympic strategy gave Russia significant progress in sports politics at a time when Moscow appears to be making no political or military concessions to Ukraine.

The IOC move is separate to the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games where a small group of Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete as neutral individuals who pass vetting for not having publicly supported the war.

Summit decision

The decision came at an Olympic Summit — an annual meeting chaired by IOC president Kirsty Coventry that invites key stakeholders from the Olympic family.

“It was recognized that implementation by the stakeholders will take time,” the IOC said in a statement, adding that each sport’s governing body should decide how to define youth events.

Some sports bodies likely will face resistance from their national member federations, especially in Europe, to the updated IOC advice which repeats that Russia should still not be picked to host international events.

The IOC’s latest move to ease the sporting isolation of Russia can apply to its own Youth Olympic Games which are held next year in Dakar, Senegal, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 13. The Russian Olympic body is still formally suspended by the IOC and currently could not compete with its national identity.

“The above principles should apply to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, and are recommended for adoption by all governing bodies and international sports event organizers for their own youth events,” the IOC said.

Banned from soccer, track and field

Russian teams have been fully excluded from international soccer, track and field and other sports since the full military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, while Russian and Belarusian athletes in winter sports are now starting to return with neutral status ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics in February.

A small group of Russian and Belarusian athletes competed as neutrals without their national identity at the Paris Summer Games last year, where those countries were banned from team sports.

A previous attempt to enable Russia’s potential return to youth sports was met with strong pushback by European soccer federations including Ukraine in September 2023.

European soccer body UEFA moved to reintegrate Russian Under-17 teams into its competitions but dropped its policy within weeks amid boycott threats by at least 12 of the 55 member federations.

Though Russian soccer teams have been banned from World Cups and club competitions like the Champions League for four seasons, their national soccer body is not suspended by FIFA or UEFA and its officials have been eligible to stand for elections.

The IOC reminded Thursday that a block should remain on inviting or accrediting government officials from Russia and Belarus to international sports events or meetings.

“With its considerations today," the IOC said, “the Olympic Summit recognized that athletes, and in particular youth athletes, should not be held accountable for the actions of their governments.”