The International Olympic Committee president, Kirsty Coventry, has given her clearest signal yet that Russia could be back for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
A day after the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, said he wanted Russia reinstated to international football, Coventry used her opening address to the 145th IOC congress in Milan to argue that all athletes should be allowed to compete in sport – regardless of their government’s behaviour.
Her comments are likely to cause tension with Ukraine after the sports minister, Matvii Bidnyi, branded Infantino as “irresponsible” and “infantile” for attempting to draw a line between sport and politics before the IOC president ventured into the same territory.
While not referencing Russia directly, Coventry said: “Throughout the campaign and in many of our conversations since, I have heard the same message from many of you. Focus on our core. We are a sports organisation. We understand politics and we know we don’t operate in a vacuum. But our game is sport. That means keeping sport a neutral ground. A place where every athlete can compete freely, without being held back by the politics or divisions of their governments.
“In a world that is increasingly divided, this principle matters more than ever. It is what allows the Olympic Games to remain a place of inspiration where the athletes of the world can come together and showcase the best of our humanity.”
The general understanding in Milan was that Coventry was referring to Russia’s exclusion since it launched its war on Ukraine in 2022. Her comments were also quickly welcomed by the Russian IOC member Shamil Tarpischev, who confirmed that relations with the IOC had improved significantly.
“It was emphasised in her speech that the political component shouldn’t play a role,” he told German media. “Because sport is inspiration and the future. So far, everything is going smoothly and honourably. But we still have a lot of discussions to make.”
Tarpischev also said he welcomed Infantino’s comments. “I sat next to him at the concert yesterday. He’s very positive about all our efforts in terms of participation. We communicate all the time.”
Russia has been banned by Fifa and Uefa since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Its teams are allowed to play friendlies, but can not enter competitions such as the men’s or women’s World Cup, European Championship or junior equivalents. Infantino has consistently expressed a hope to see them return and, in an interview with Sky News on Monday, said the ban had “not achieved anything” and should be reassessed, at least concerning youth teams.
Bidnyi, however, delivered a withering response to Infantino, highlighting the real-life effects of Russia’s aggression on footballers and other sportspeople. “Gianni Infantino’s words sound irresponsible, not to say infantile,” he said.
“They detach football from the reality in which children are being killed. Let me remind you that since the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression, more than 650 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed by Russians. Among them were 100 footballers.”
Bidnyi proceeded to give examples of young players killed by missile strikes and shelling before urging football’s authorities not to let Russia back in. “War is a crime, not politics,” he said. “It is Russia that politicises sport and uses it to justify aggression. I share the position of the Ukrainian Association of Football, which also warns against Russia’s return to international competitions.
“As long as Russians continue killing Ukrainians and politicising sport, their flag and national symbols have no place among people who respect values such as justice, integrity, and fair play.”
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, went further in his condemnation of Infantino and linked his comments to past Olympic scandal. “679 Ukrainian girls and boys will never be able to play football – Russia killed them,” he posted on X. “And it keeps killing more while moral degenerates suggest lifting bans, despite Russia’s failure to end its war. Future generations will view this as a shame reminiscent of the 1936 Olympics.”
In December, the International Olympic Committee advised sport’s governing bodies to let Russian youth athletes compete at international events again, under their own flag and national anthem. Shortly after, Fifa announced plans for a new under-15 festival, open to all 211 member associations, that will take place for boys this year and girls in 2027.
There will be 13 Russian athletes competing as neutrals in Milano Cortina, and seven from Belarus. That is a fraction of the 200 Russians who competed in Beijing four years ago, winning 32 medals under the banner of the “Russian Olympic Committee” enforced following the state-sponsored doping scandal.
In football, Russia under-16 and under-15 teams have regularly participated in Uefa-branded “development tournaments”, which are also open to guest countries from outside Europe, since the ban. Opponents in these tournaments have included Serbia, Kazakhstan, China, Ghana and Belarus.
Russian national teams have played few matches in Europe since February 2022, aside from games in its close ally Belarus. Exceptions have sprung up in the past year: the senior women’s side played a friendly in Serbia last July and two matches in North Macedonia three months later. Mid-season practice matches during club training camps in Turkey are more common. The German club Berliner AK sparked controversy when their under-19s faced Spartak Moscow, and the sixth-tier side Rot-Weiss Wittlich played Dynamo Moscow’s second team last week.
A full return in football appears highly unlikely while no end to the war is in view. Opposition within Europe, which in effect led to the ban when opponents refused to play Russia in the Euro 2024 playoffs, remains strong and any vote taken by the Fifa Council or Uefa would almost certainly not pass.
