The International Olympic Committee ended recommended restrictions on Belarus, allowing athletes to compete under their own flag. Russia remains restricted.
2:12 PM
The International Olympic Committee has lifted all recommended restrictions on Belarusian athletes, allowing them to compete under their own national flag at the LA28 Olympic Games and in other international competitions governed by International Federations and sports event organisers.
The IOC Executive Board announced the decision on May 7, stating it "no longer recommends any restrictions on the participation of Belarusian athletes, including teams, in competitions governed by International Federations and international sports event organizers." The board lifted the recommended conditions of participation issued on February 28, 2022 and March 28, 2023 as they relate to Belarus and Belarusian athletes, including protective measures.
Belarusian athletes have been unable to compete under their own flag since 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine with Belarus serving as a launchpad for the invasion. Both countries were suspended from Olympic competition following the invasion. A partial ban was introduced in 2023, allowing athletes to compete as neutral individual athletes rather than under their national identity.
The IOC said in its statement that "athletes' participation in international competition should not be limited by the actions of their governments, including involvement in a war or conflict." Since 2023, athletes with Belarusian passports have participated as individual neutral athletes in numerous international competitions.
The decision comes after the International Paralympic Committee granted Belarusian athletes four slots for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in March, a move that was not replicated in the preceding month's Olympics and drew scrutiny, with many countries joining a boycott of that decision.
The IOC's guidance applies specifically to Belarus. The restrictions on Russian athletes and teams remain in place. The IOC press office noted that "the situation relating to the Russian Olympic Committee is different from that relating to the National Olympic Committee of Belarus." One barrier to Russia's return is an ongoing World Anti-Doping Agency investigation.
The recommendation was issued by the IOC Executive Board under the leadership of Kirsty Coventry, who was elected IOC president in March 2025.
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