Russian athletes could be allowed to represent their country at the 2028 Olympic Games in LA after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) landed on a major decision.
IOC to allow Russian athletes at the LA 2028 Olympics?
The IOC has provisionally lifted the ban on Russian athletes, three years after the committee suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in response to the war in Ukraine.
In the latest developments, Russian atheletes are allowed to compete as long as they "meet relevant anti-doping requirements".
However, decisions regarding the display of the Russian flag, colours and anthem at the Olympics have yet to be made.
The IOC said it will continue to "not organise IOC events in Russia or invite Russian government or state officials to its events".
Russian athletes as neutrals
Few Russian athletes competed at both the 2024 Paris Games and this year's Winter Olympics in Milan as neutral participants.
Just 32 athletes from Russia and Belarus competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics as approved neutrals and went on to win five medals.
The Russian team had more than 300 athletes at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and secured 71 medals.
Russia reacts to the IOC's decision
Russia welcomed the IOC's decision, saying the Games must be "free from politics".
"The IOC is sending a clear signal: the Olympic movement must remain free from politics," Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev said on Telegram, adding that Russia planned to participate in qualifiers for the 2028 Olympics.
The IOC says it still "strongly condemns" the Russian invasion of Ukraine but "recognises that an athlete's participation in international competition should not be limited by the involvement of their government in a war or conflict".
Notably, in May, World Athletics rejected a recommendation by the IOC that a ban on Belarusian athletes and teams competing under the flag of their nation should be lifted.
