Almost all Russian athletes may be allowed at int’l competitions this year — sports chief

MOSCOW, May 12. /TASS/. Almost all Russian athletes may be cleared to participate in international sports tournaments before the end of the year, a senior Russian sports official told TASS on Tuesday. "At some point it seemed that we were blocked in everything and everywhere," Russian Sports Minister and President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Mikhail Degtyarev said in an interview with TASS. "Meanwhile, there was no plan to overcome this situation. Our team has done everything possible to crack open these doors at first in order to return to competitions at least under a neutral status." "Today, we are coming back with the flag and anthem, and the results are obvious: this year our athletes will be cleared to participate in almost all international sports competitions," he continued. "This is my forecast based on our negotiating stance and contacts with international organizations, which we support. At the same time, our anthem is already being played at many tournaments, and our national flag is present," Degtyarev added. On February 28, 2022, the IOC issued recommendations to international sports federations to prohibit athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason. Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments. In December 2025, the IOC Executive Board issued recommendations that allowed athletes in international federations from Russia and Belarus to participate in youth disciplines under the national flags and anthems. This recommendation applied to both individual and team sports. Numerous international sports federations followed the proposal.