Russian and Belarusian athletes should compete under national flags at youth level, says IOC

Athletes from Russia and Belarus should be allowed to compete under their national flags and emblems at youth level, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recommended.

Russian and Belarusian competitors have been banned from competing under their countries’ flags at Olympic and Paralympic events since Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022. Despite widespread international condemnation of Russia, it has continued to receive diplomatic support from its geographical neighbour and ally Belarus, which has acted as a launchpad for its invasion of Ukraine.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the IOC permitted some Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under the “Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN)” team, which had no symbolism of national anthems, badges or flags.

An IOC release from Thursday’s Olympic Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland said that the Summit agreed with the Executive Board’s recommendation that youth athletes from Russia and Belarus should be allowed to compete under their national flags, and asked the international sporting federations to consider how to make it work.

The recommendation comes ahead of the 2026 Youth Olympics in Dakar, the first Olympic event held in Africa, which will take place between October 31 and November 13 next year. “The above principles should apply to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, and are recommended for adoption by all IFs and International Sports Event Organisers for their own youth events,” a statement read.

The IOC acknowledged this implementation would “take time”, adding: “The standard protocols of the international federation (IF) or the international sports event organiser regarding flags, anthems, uniforms and other elements should apply, provided that the national sports organisation concerned is in good standing.”

The statement continued: “With its considerations today, the Olympic Summit recognised that athletes, and in particular youth athletes, should not be held accountable for the actions of their governments — sport is their access to hope, and a way to show that all athletes can respect the same rules and each another.”

The IOC also said that Belarus should no longer be restricted from hosting international events, although Russia should remain barred from doing so.

Earlier this month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that skiers from Russia and Belarus should be allowed to participate in qualification events for the 2026 Winter Olympics, provided they meet the IOC’s criteria for individual neutral athletes.

Meanwhile, Russian lugers have informed the International Luge Federation that they plan to compete in a World Cup race at Lake Placid, New York, next weekend. It would be the first Russian participation at a World Cup luge race since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

In November, the International Luge Federation’s ban on AIN athletes was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Any Russian participation at Lake Placid, which could give their team hopes of qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics, would be under the AIN banner.

Russian lugers have been granted visas to the U.S., and any participation has been criticised by Ukrainian luge athlete Anton Dukach. “They are not neutral,” Dukach said, via the Associated Press. “They support war.”

In soccer, Russia was banned from competing in UEFA and FIFA (the governing bodies of European and world soccer respectively) competitions after invading Ukraine. Belarus was not banned by either body.

In October 2022, UEFA said it was “constantly monitoring the situation” in Belarus and could yet take “further decisions” against the eastern European nation, after troops from the country were deployed with Russian forces near Ukraine. Belarus most recently competed in European qualifiers for the 2026 men’s World Cup, finishing bottom of Group C behind Scotland, Denmark and Greece.