There are some strings attached.
The Russians are coming. The Russians are coming. At least that is the plan as the International Olympic Committee has lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and paved the way for a full roster of Russians to compete at the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics. Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War in February 2022, the Russian national team has been barred from the IOC’s crown jewel events. A handful of Russians have been allowed to perform in the Olympics and Paralympics as neutrals. The IOC said it would decide at a later date whether the Russians would be able to compete under their own flag and anthem. The IOC also said it would not be hosting events in Russia for the time being or invite Russian officials to its events. The IOC has been dithering for years over the Russian team participation.
The IOC has also warned Russian athletes “selection shall be based not only on their sports performance, but also on their ability to serve as role models who respect, uphold and promote a peaceful society through sport as set forth in the Olympic Charter”. The IOC and role models certainly don’t belong in the same sentence. The IOC has lacked morality throughout its existence. Russia hasn’t competed as a country since the Rio Summer Olympics in 2016. Russia was banned from the Winter Games in South Korea in 2018 and Beijing in 2022 along with the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021 for a doping scandal. Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics which apparently ran afoul of some Olympics’ creed of don’t start a war during our global sports party. The invasion was characterized by the IOC as a “breach of the Olympic Charter.”
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