IOC executive board lifts suspension of Russian Olympic Committee
A sizeable step has been taken in allowing Russian athletes back on the world stage in hockey.
On Tuesday, the executive board of the International Olympic Committee announced that it has provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, giving the nation’s athletes a chance to compete and qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics and the 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
The decision ends a nearly three-year ban on the ROC being allowed to compete at the Olympics. It came in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shortly after the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Since then, Russian athletes have been allowed to compete under a neutral flag, but teams, including men’s and women’s ice hockey, have been withheld from competition.
The IOC remains firm that it doesn’t condone Russia’s attack on Ukraine, but, according to a release, “at a time of growing instability and division around the world, the IOC remains committed to promoting peace through sport among people and nations.” The IOC says it still stands with Ukraine as it continues to be bombarded by the Russian military.
As it pertains to hockey, Russia remains banned in the eyes of the International Ice Hockey Federation, a suspension that has been in place for the past four years. It has kept players like Alex Ovechkin, Artemi Panarin and Andrei Vasilievskiy from competing on the world stage, including this past year’s Winter Games in Milan, when the NHL allowed its players to compete in the event for the first time since the Sochi Olympics 12 years prior.
It seems that there is momentum for that to change, especially with the NHL hosting the World Cup of Hockey in less than two years, and many believe that the league will allow a Russian team to compete. The IIHF also said back in March that it will be re-evaluating its ban on Russian national and club teams.
Belarus, which was also banned after supporting Russia in the invasion of Ukraine, had recently been reinstated by the IIHF for the 2026-27 season. However, Latvia and Lithuania, among other nations, have stated that they won’t play in tournaments featuring Belarusian squads. There’s a fear that a similar boycott would persist if Russia was allowed to compete.