When Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, the response from the international sporting community was swift and robust. Russia and Belarus were suspended from international competitions as early as March 2022.
But since then the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have been making concession after concession. In this article, we show how Russia has gradually returned to world sport.
How the positions of the IOC and IPC have changed
2022
- 28 February: The IOC recommended that international federations NOT allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete.
- 3 March: The IPC excluded Russia and Belarus from the 2022 Paralympic Games.
- 16 November: The IPC suspended the membership of the national paralympic committees of Russia and Belarus.
2023
- 29 September: The IPC allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the 2024 Paralympic Games as neutrals.
- 12 October: The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) for including so-called "sports organisations" under the authority of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (in the occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts) as members.
- 8 December: The IOC allowed "neutral" athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games.
2025
- 27 September: The IPC fully reinstated the membership of the national Paralympic committees of Belarus and Russia. Athletes from these countries were also granted the right to compete under their own flags.
- 11 December: The IOC recommended lifting all restrictions on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions at junior and youth levels.
2026
- 17 February: The IPC confirmed that 10 athletes from Russia and Belarus would compete at the 2026 Paralympic Games under their national flags.
- 7 May: The IOC lifted restrictions preventing Belarusian athletes from taking part in international competitions under their own flag.
How Russians and Belarusians have been readmitted by international federations
The first returns happened in the early years after the start of the full-scale invasion, although athletes had to compete as neutrals. Russia returned to fencing, table tennis, taekwondo, judo, gymnastics, swimming and so on during this time.
A mass return under national flags began at the end of 2025 following the IOC's recommendation that athletes from Russia and Belarus should be readmitted to competitions at youth level.
2025
- 28 March: Russians were permitted to compete under their national flag in kickboxing.
- 27 November: The International Judo Federation allowed Russians to compete under their national flag in all competitions.
- 4 December: The International Sambo Federation (FIAS) admitted Russian and Belarusian athletes to all competitions under their national flags.
- 12 December: Russia and Belarus were readmitted to youth-level international volleyball competitions.
- 15 December: Russians and Belarusians were permitted to play in international youth chess tournaments.
- 23 December: Representatives of Russia and Belarus were readmitted to youth fencing competitions.
2026
- 19 January: Russians were readmitted to international youth curling competitions.
- 31 January: The World Taekwondo Federation permitted Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competitions at all levels.
- 5 February: Russians and Belarusians returned to youth-level aquatic sports competitions.
- 26 March: Russia and Belarus were partially reinstated in international handball tournaments at national youth team level.
- 13 April: World Aquatics decided to lift all restrictions on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international aquatic sports. However, the European governing body for aquatic sports (European Aquatics) has postponed their return.
- 29 April: World Boxing allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals. On 12 May, it lifted all restrictions on Belarus.
- 12 May: All restrictions on Belarus were lifted in the modern pentathlon.
- 13 May: Belarus was readmitted to international volleyball competitions.
- 15 May: United World Wrestling (UWW) lifted all restrictions on wrestlers from Russia and Belarus.
- 18 May: World Gymnastics removed all restrictions on Russian and Belarusian gymnasts. On 21 May, this decision was also supported by European Gymnastics.
- 19 May: Russians and Belarusians were permitted to take part in Muay Thai competitions under their national symbols.
- 27 May: The International University Sports Federation (FISU) lifted all restrictions on Belarusian athletes.
- 28 May: The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) partially lifted the suspension of Belarus and reinstated its national teams in several international competitions.
- 29 May: The International Ice Hockey Federation lifted the suspension of Russia for the 2026/27 season.
- 2 June: The International Fencing Federation lifted the suspension of Russia and Belarus.
...
Overall, Russians have been readmitted at all levels of international competition in 10 sports. At youth level the number is even higher – more than 20 federations have allowed athletes to compete under their national flags.
The situation is even more favourable for Belarusian athletes, as the IOC itself (essentially the main governing body of international sport) has issued decisions enabling them to return. As a result, most federations have followed this line.
However, some organisations, such as World Athletics and the International Tennis Federation, have opposed it.
***
At the beginning of 2026, Ukrainian MP and Olympic champion Zhan Beleniuk said:
"2026 will unfortunately be the year of Russia's large-scale return to international sport – including under its own symbols. This can already be stated as a fact."
Just five months later, it can already be said with certainty that Beleniuk was right. Russia is returning to world sport at an extremely rapid pace, and Belarus even faster. It now seems unlikely that this can be stopped directly.
But there are ways in which athletes from these countries can continue to be barred. Take the junior World Curling Championship, in which Russia had been expected to compete. The tournament was due to take place in Canada, and Ukraine reached an agreement with the hosts to deny the Russian athletes entry to the country.
Similarly, Nordic countries are refusing to host World Aquatics events due to Russia's readmission.
Mykola Dendak, Champion
Translated by Tetiana Buchkovska
Edited by Teresa Pearce