IOC Lifts Belarus Athlete Restrictions as World Athletics Refuses to Follow

Overview

• The IOC Executive Board, which met Thursday, lifted all limits on Belarusian athletes and teams, allowing use of the flag and anthem and entry into Los Angeles 2028 qualifying events that start this summer.
• Russian competitors remain restricted to individual events under a neutral flag and must not have publicly backed the war in Ukraine.
• World Athletics said hours after the IOC announcement that it will keep its Belarus ban until there is tangible progress in peace talks, closing track and field to Belarus for now.
• The IOC described its policy as guidance, so international federations must choose if and when to apply it, which means eligibility will differ by sport and by calendar.
• The IOC said Belarus’s Olympic committee is in good standing, while the Russian Olympic Committee has been suspended since October 2023 over moves in occupied Ukrainian regions and ongoing anti-doping concerns.