OLYMPICS: IOC wants return of Russian, Belarusian youth athletes to international events

BERLIN — The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Thursday that Russian and Belarusian youth athletes should be allowed to compete in international events without access restrictions—marking the first move toward easing sanctions imposed after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

According to the IOC, its Olympic Summit this week endorsed the Executive Board’s recommendation to permit youth athletes from both countries to participate in international competitions, including individual and team events. However, the Committee noted that full implementation will take time.

“In light of the discussion around the principles, the Summit supported the IOC EB’s recommendation that youth athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport should no longer be restricted in their access to international youth competitions, in both individual and team sports,” the IOC said in a statement.

“The Summit participants committed to take these discussions back to their organizations for further consideration. It was recognized that implementation by the stakeholders will take time.”

The IOC added that standard protocols on flags and anthems will apply, and these principles are expected to be enforced at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

They also recommended that all international federations and sports event organizers adopt the same guidelines for their respective youth events.

In October 2023, the IOC suspended the Russian and Belarusian Olympic Committees for recognizing regional Olympic councils in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories—Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—saying that this action violated the Olympic Charter.

Currently, Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualify for major events must be vetted for any links to the Russian military or support for the war in Ukraine. Any such association leads to immediate disqualification.

Russian teams remain banned from the upcoming Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, as they were at the Paris 2024 Summer Games. Belarus, meanwhile, has been cited for serving as a staging ground for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. -Karolos GrohmannEditing by Toby Davis/Reuters