IOC advises sports bodies to restore full national identity for Belarusian athletes

The International Olympic Committee has issued guidance to sports governing bodies recommending that Belarusian athletes be permitted to compete under their full national identity. This advice marks a departure from the previous requirement for these athletes to participate as vetted neutrals, a status previously mandated to ensure they did not support the war. The IOC explicitly stated that an athlete's participation in international competition should not be restricted by the actions of their government, including involvement in war or conflict.

While this recommendation specifically targets Belarus, it carries significant implications for the broader geopolitical landscape of the Olympic movement. The advice signals a potential trajectory towards ending the isolation of Russia within Olympic circles, although the current directive does not yet apply to the Russian Federation. The distinction remains critical as the two nations face different procedural hurdles regarding their return to full competition.

The Russian Olympic Committee remains suspended by the IOC since October 2023, following a determination that it incorporated regional sports bodies in illegally occupied eastern Ukraine. Despite constructive exchanges between the committee and the IOC regarding this suspension, the body remains in place while the IOC Legal Affairs Commission continues to review the matter. Consequently, Russia's return to the Games is currently hindered by this ongoing administrative review alongside an active investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

That investigation centres on reports implicating Russian anti-doping official Veronika Loginova. The IOC executive board noted with concern the recent information currently under review by the agency, without explicitly naming the official involved. Until this investigation concludes and the Legal Affairs Commission finalises its assessment, the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee is expected to persist, maintaining a separate timeline for Moscow's reinstatement compared to Minsk.

The immediate impact of the IOC's guidance will be felt in the upcoming qualification period for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which is set to begin this summer. Sports federations are now advised to remove the neutral vetting barriers for Belarusian competitors. This follows the precedent set during the 2024 Paris Olympics and the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, where a combined total of 32 athletes from both nations competed as vetted neutrals, winning five medals in the process.

The decision underscores a shift in the IOC's stance on the relationship between state conduct and individual sporting rights. By reaffirming that government actions should not limit athlete participation, the Olympic body is effectively decoupling the sporting eligibility of Belarusian athletes from the political context of the conflict, even as the situation for Russia remains subject to separate legal and investigative determinations.