The International Olympic Committee has extended its sanctions against Russian athletes, a decision announced by Mark Adams, the IOC Director of Communications. The IOC Executive Board continues to monitor the situation in Ukraine and has kept in place a comprehensive set of sanctions and protective measures. These include the absence of Russian flags, colors, and symbols in international events, as well as a prohibition on international federations hosting competitions within Russia. The measures remain active, and the international sports community is reminded of this ongoing policy (IOC press briefing).
Earlier in the year, at the end of February, the IOC asked global sport federations to exclude domestic and Belarusian athletes from participation in competitions. This advisory aimed to preserve the integrity of international events and maintain a clear stance in the ongoing regional crisis (IOC communications).
Following the advisory, several international sport organizations began enforcing exclusions, with the suspension period repeatedly described as still open by IOC leadership. In practice, many major events in football, hockey, skiing, volleyball, and other high-profile sports were interrupted, postponed, or canceled when Russian participation was deemed incompatible with the sanctions regime (IOC President and federation announcements).
In related discussions, IOC President Thomas Bach was reported to be engaging with presidents of the international sport federations to assess Russia’s ongoing eligibility for future events and potential conditions for reinstatement. These conversations reflect a careful balance between upholding sanctions and evaluating conditions for possible future participation (IOC leadership remarks).