IOC lifts ban on Russia for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics amid Ukraine war backlash

The International Olympic Committee announced that Russian athletes will be allowed to compete at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, ending the suspension imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The decision, which also follows Belarus’s readmission, has been condemned by Ukrainian officials and athletes who view it as a propaganda victory for Moscow and a threat to their safety and careers.

Swedish sports authorities, including the Swedish Olympic Committee and the government, expressed disappointment, and several commentators called for a boycott of events featuring Russian participants. Editorials in Swedish media quoted the sentiment “Russia has no place in the Olympics.” The move has sparked debate over the separation of sport and politics and the moral implications of allowing representatives of a state engaged in ongoing armed conflict to compete on the world stage.