The International Olympic Committee took a major step to bringing Belarus back into the fold on Thursday.
The IOC no longer recommends restrictions on Belarusian athletes or teams in competitions governed by International Federations (IFs). The restrictions were put into place due to Belarus’s participation in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February of 2022. The restrictions on Russian athletes remain in place.
On the IOC website, the organization explained its decision to keep the restrictions on Russian athletes.
“The situation relating to the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is different from that relating to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Belarus,” the explanation read. “The NOC of Belarus is in good standing and complies with the Olympic Charter. Whilst the ROC has held constructive exchanges with the IOC on its suspension, it remains suspended while the IOC Legal Affairs Commission continues to review the matter.”
The next Olympic Games are set for Los Angeles in 2028. The next Winter Olympics will be held in 2030 in the French Alps.
