The IOC just recommended bringing Russian athletes back to the Olympics. Here’s how Russia, Ukraine, and the West are reacting.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended lifting all restrictions on Russian athletes who had been barred from international competition following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and provisionally reinstated the Russian Olympic Committee. Since 2022, Russian athletes had either been barred from major competitions entirely or allowed to compete only as individuals in neutral status. The IOC recommendation does not automatically grant access to competitions — decisions will be made by the international federations governing each sport — but it significantly weakens the isolation of Russian sport. Meduza looked at how the decision is being received in Russia, Ukraine, and the West.

Russia

Mikhail Degtyarev

Russia’s sports minister

“There is still a great deal of work ahead to implement the IOC’s decisions within international organizations, but the IOC is sending a clear signal: the Olympic movement must remain outside of politics.”

Alexander Zhukov

Former president of the Russian Olympic Committee

“Given that the IOC recently adopted amendments to the Olympic Charter stating that no political considerations may affect the admission of athletes, I think this is a logical and consistent step.”

Dmitry Vasilyev

Biathlete, two-time Olympic champion

“International sports federations are not obligated to implement the IOC’s decisions — they are recommendations. That said, no federation can simply ignore the IOC’s position; it would cost them too much. So if not 100%, then 99% of international federations will follow the IOC’s lead and bring our athletes back to international competition.”

Tatyana Tarasova

Figure skating coach

“We won’t be competing the way we used to — in each discipline there used to be three people, now we’ll start with one. […] We were treated unjustly; five years were stolen from us, and now they’re slowly starting to restore things. We’re glad, but there’s nothing to thank them for.”

Alexander Legkov

Cross-country skier, Olympic champion

“The IOC’s clearance doesn’t really change much globally, for now. The next [Winter] Olympics is still four years away. What matters is that our athletes be admitted to World Cup stages so they have the chance to reintegrate into international sport and be in peak condition by the time the Olympics comes around.”

Maria Zakharova

Official spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry

“Common sense has prevailed! World sport lives on. Lives on with Russia!”

Umar Kremlev

President of the International Boxing Association (IBA)

“The new leadership is successfully replacing the old guard and getting rid of outdated and mistaken decisions. International associations must protect athletes — it is athletes who should stand on the podium, not politics. Russian athletes must return fully to the world stage: under their own flag, under their own anthem, representing their country.”

The world

Kirsty Coventry

IOC President

“We ⁠made it clear that all athletes had the possibility to compete at the Olympic Games. This is what this decision speaks to. It allows Russian athletes to take part in sports competitions.”

FIFA

International Federation of Association Football

“FIFA will analyse the decision before deciding on next steps in coordination with the relevant stakeholders”

Zaineb Al-Samarai

President of the Norwegian Olympic Committee

“Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports has maintained a clear position against Russian and Belarusian participation in international sport. Together with the other Nordic Olympic and Paralympic committees, we have repeatedly raised this position in international forums and directly with the IOC. The current situation does not warrant allowing Russian athletes to return to international competition. We disagree with the IOC’s recommendation to restore Russian athletes’ full participation, but we acknowledge it. Unfortunately, we must once again recognize that our position is a minority view in international sport.”

Dmitry Navosha

Belarusian journalist

“I honestly can’t find any printable words right now, so I’ll stick to a history lesson. The 1936 Olympics were held in Germany under a sea of swastikas. Back then, the IOC responded to every proposal to move the Games with exactly the same argument: ‘Sport should not be politicized.’ […] After World War II, the IOC acknowledged that this had been a mistake and apologized.”

Ukraine

National Olympic Committee of Ukraine

“We consider this decision premature, unjustified, and made without regard for the objective circumstances, which remain unchanged: the Russian Federation continues its full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine, flagrantly violating international law and the fundamental principles of peace and security. […]

We are particularly concerned that the sole basis for the temporary reinstatement of the Russian Olympic Committee was the Russian side’s statement that it had ceased activities in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories. At the same time, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine has repeatedly provided the IOC and international sports federations with evidence that the Russian Olympic Committee and the sports organizations under its control continue to engage in activities that violate the territorial jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee.”

Matvii Bidnyi and Andrii Sybiha

Ukraine’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister

“The IOC’s decision to lift its recommendation restricting the participation of Russian athletes is an alarming signal for the entire international community. We call on the governments of countries hosting international sporting events not to allow the display of Russian state symbols on their territory. Under that flag, Russia continues its unprovoked war against Ukraine, civilians are killed every day, and Ukrainian cities are being destroyed. The symbols of the aggressor state cannot become part of a sporting celebration.

The Olympic movement is founded on the values of peace, respect for human dignity, and responsibility. We therefore hope that the issue of the use of Russian state symbols at the Olympic Games will be considered separately. We also call on international sports federations to maintain the existing restrictions on representatives of the aggressor state.”

Zhan Beleniuk

Olympic champion, member of the Verkhovna Rada

“The masks are long off. After thousands of Ukrainians have been killed, after daily missile attacks and terror against civilians, after cities and sports facilities have been destroyed, taking steps toward the aggressor state is not in keeping with Olympic values. It reflects a willingness to turn a blind eye to the war. Such decisions are shameful. They cast a shadow over the entire Olympic movement and will forever remain a stain on the IOC’s reputation.

The Olympic movement is meant to symbolize peace. But peace cannot be built by pretending that aggression does not exist.”