IOC Eases Ban: Youth Athletes From Russia, Belarus Back In International Sport

Last Updated:December 12, 2025, 09:55 IST

The IOC will allow Russian and Belarusian youth athletes to compete internationally again, easing post-2022 sanctions, but senior teams remain banned for now.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry (X)

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has cracked open the door for Russia and Belarus — at least for the next generation.

In a significant softening of its post-2022 stance, the IOC announced Thursday that youth athletes from both countries should once again be allowed to compete in international events without extra restrictions.

The shift came out of this week’s Olympic Summit, where delegates backed the IOC Executive Board’s recommendation to reintegrate Russian and Belarusian youngsters in both individual and team sports.

It’s the first major rollback of sporting sanctions since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, though the IOC stressed that actually implementing the change will take time.

“In light of the discussion around the principles, the Summit supported the IOC EB’s recommendation," the organisation said, adding that stakeholders must now take the proposal back to their own federations.

Translation: green light in principle, yellow light in practice.

Standard competition rules — flags, anthems, and all — will apply, and the IOC wants this framework fully in place ahead of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. It’s also urging all international federations to adopt the same approach for their youth competitions.

This comes against the backdrop of the IOC’s October 2023 decision to suspend the Russian and Belarusian Olympic Committees for recognising regional Olympic bodies in occupied areas of Ukraine, a move deemed a violation of the Olympic Charter.

Senior athletes remain under far stricter scrutiny: only those who qualify on sporting merit and pass a vetting panel checking for links to the military or support for the war are admitted — and even then, only as neutral competitors.

Russian and Belarusian teams will stay banned from the upcoming Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, continuing the policy seen at Paris 2024.

For youth athletes, though, the door is now reopening — cautiously, and very much on the IOC’s terms.

(with Reuters inputs)

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