Russia Reacts to IOC's Decision to Restore Olympic Committee Rights

The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has temporarily reinstated the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) nearly three years after its suspension. According to Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev, the IOC Executive Board also abolished all neutrality checks for Russian athletes and lifted the ban on holding international sporting events in Russia. The decision followed Russia's cancellation of the establishment of Olympic organizations in the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. "The IOC has lifted restrictions on team sports and appealed to all international federations with a proposal to restore our flag, anthem, and national teams at international competitions. (...) The Russian Olympic Committee has been reinstated with full rights," Degtyarev said. According to Degtyarev, the IOC's decision removes all restrictions previously imposed on the Russian Olympic Committee. He added that the Ministry of Sport will continue negotiations with the IOC regarding the reinstatement of Russian athletes in various international sports federations, emphasizing that the decision opens a direct path toward the return of Russian national teams to international competition across all sports.