The Russian Olympic Committee was suspended in October 2023 after recognizing regional Olympic councils in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The IOC said on Tuesday that its executive board had lifted the suspension, marking a step toward Russia's reintegration into the Olympic movement ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
However, the IOC has not yet decided whether Russian athletes will be allowed to compete under the country's flag and colours or whether the national anthem will be played at the Olympics, the Reuters news agency reported.
The IOC said it would continue monitoring the Russian Olympic Committee while reiterating its condemnation of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
"We don't condone any wars, including this one," IOC President Kirsty Coventry told a news conference. "We will continue to support Ukraine like we have since this started, but I don't believe athletes should pay the price," she added.
"We don't want to hold athletes accountable for the actions of their government," she said.
The decision is the latest step by the IOC toward Russia's return to international sport after it urged sports federations in December to readmit Russian and Belarusian athletes under the age of 23, Reuters reported.
"We made it clear that all athletes had the possibility to compete at the Olympic Games," Coventry said. "This is what this decision speaks to. It allows Russian athletes to take part in sports competitions. We thought it was really important for athletes to have that possibility."
Ukraine's foreign ministry called the decision "troubling" and urged countries hosting international competitions to maintain a ban on Russian state symbols, according to Reuters.
The move is unlikely to restore full Russian participation across all sports. Several international federations continue to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from competition.
World Athletics last week reaffirmed its decision to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competition, maintaining sanctions first imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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Source: Reuters, IAR, PAP