The International Olympic Committee decided on 13 July to allow Russian athletes back into Los Angeles 2028 qualifying events, including team sports, after Moscow removed four occupied Ukrainian regions from its national Olympic charter. Competitors remain barred from using the Russian flag or anthem.
The relaxation triggered an immediate backlash: nine European Union nations, led by Estonia, wrote to EU sports commissioner Glenn Micallef urging that any international federation readmitting Russian or Belarusian athletes should lose EU funding.
The sporting landscape remains fractured. World Aquatics has lifted all restrictions, permitting Russians to compete under their own flag, while federations governing gymnastics and judo have also dropped sanctions. World Athletics, however, has extended its suspension. Russia's removal of its Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia branches from its Olympic committee was the key condition for the IOC's partial reinstatement.