Russians and Belarusians may be allowed to participate in the 2026 Olympics

The International Olympic Committee does not rule out the possibility of Russian and Belarusian athletes participating in the 2026 Olympic Games. This is the opinion of the new IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, reports L'Equipe.

The final decision on this issue has not yet been made.

"We will not rush to resolve issues before the September and December meetings, but we will probably move in the same direction as in Paris," Coventry told.

In order to participate in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, teams from Russia and Belarus had to meet strict criteria: qualify on the basis of sports, prove that they do not actively support Russia's war against Ukraine and have no ties to the military.

Only those who were recognized as "neutral individual athletes" were allowed to compete. The IOC does not rule out this approach in 2026.

• on June 19, it was reported that Latvia banned citizens of Russia and Belarus from buying real estate. But there are exceptions.
• On July 25, self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and more than 250 other people received an indefinite ban on entry to Estonia.