World Athletics Rejects IOC Proposal to Lift Belarus Ban
World Athletics has declined the International Olympic Committee's recommendation to lift the ban on Belarusian athletes and teams competing under their national flag.
On Thursday, the IOC's executive board called on international sports federations and event organisers to reinstate Belarus in international competitions while maintaining restrictions on Russia.
Both Belarus and Russia were suspended from Olympic competition following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Belarus being a close ally of Russia. A partial ban was introduced in 2023, allowing athletes to compete as neutrals.
The IOC stated that, unlike Russia, the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Belarus "is in good standing and complies with the Olympic Charter."
Since 2023, athletes holding Belarusian passports have competed as individual neutral athletes (AINs) in numerous international sporting events, including the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, without any incidents on or off the field of play.
"It reaffirms that athletes' participation in international competition should not be limited by the actions of their governments, including involvement in a war or conflict."
However, World Athletics responded by maintaining its sanctions against Belarusian and Russian athletes, officials, and supporting personnel. A spokesperson said:
"As a consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, World Athletics sanctions implemented in March 2022 excluding Belarusian and Russian athletes, officials and supporting personnel from competition remain in place.
Our council has made a clear decision that when there is tangible movement towards peace negotiations it can begin to review its decisions. We all hope this will be soon, but until that happens the council continues to be united in standing behind the decision it made in March 2022 and revisited in 2023 and 2025."
This recommendation and response coincide with the qualification period for both the LA28 Olympic Games and the Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games, which begins this summer.
Russian Athletes' Status and Doping Concerns
While some Russian swimmers have been permitted to compete under the Russian flag, and six athletes will do so at the Paralympics, the IOC has not lifted the ban on Russia due to ongoing doping concerns.
IOC president Kirsty Coventry, elected in March 2025, suggested in February that Russia could compete at the Los Angeles Games in two years. However, the IOC has decided that doping issues prevent lifting the ban at this time.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) recently announced over 300 sanctions against Russian athletes following the seizure of Moscow laboratory data in 2019.
"While the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) has held constructive exchanges with the IOC on its suspension, it remains suspended while the IOC legal affairs commission continues to review the matter," said the IOC.
"The IOC EB (executive board) also noted with concern the recent information that has led to the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) looking into the Russian anti-doping system.
The IOC EB would therefore like to obtain a better understanding of this situation."
Other Sporting Bodies' Decisions and Reactions
In September, the International Paralympic Committee lifted its ban on Belarusian and Russian athletes competing at the Winter Paralympics earlier this year. Additionally, World Aquatics announced that athletes from both countries can compete under their national flags.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino suggested in February that the world football governing body would consider lifting the ban on Russia, a move criticized by Ukraine's sports minister Matvii Bidnyi as "irresponsible" and "infantile."
