BERLIN: Russian and Belarusian youth athletes should compete in international events without access restrictions, the International Olympic Committee said on Thursday, marking a first step in easing sanctions imposed following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The IOC said its Olympic summit this week backed its executive board’s recommendation to allow youth athletes from these countries to participate in both individual and team sports, though the IOC noted implementation would require time.

“In light of the discussion around the principles, the Summit supported the IOC EBs recommendation that youth athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport should no longer be restricted in their access to international youth competitions, in both individual and team sports,” it said in a statement.

“The Summit participants committed to take these discussions back to their organisations for their consideration. It was recognised that implementation by the stakeholders will take time.”

The IOC said standard protocols regarding flags and anthems should apply and that these principles should be in place at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

The IOC said they were also “recommended for adoption by all international federations and International Sports Event Organisers for their own youth events.”

The Olympic body suspended the Russian and Belarusian Olympic Committees in October 2023 for recognising regional Olympic councils for Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine — Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — following Russia’s invasion, saying the move had violated the Olympic Charter.

Russian and Belarusian athletes who reach qualifying standards for Olympic Games are first vetted by a panel for any links to the Russian military or support for the war in Ukraine, both of which will lead to their exclusion.

Russian teams are banned from February’s Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, as was the case at the Paris 2024 Summer Games. Belarus has acted as a staging ground for the invasion of Ukraine.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2025