Russian athletes could be allowed to compete for their country at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles after the International Olympic Committee provisionally lifted their suspension.

The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in 2023 in response to the war in Ukraine.

But it says that ban is “no longer applicable”, external and athletes from Russia can compete again as long as they “meet relevant anti-doping requirements”.

No decision has yet been taken on whether Russia can display its flag, colours and anthem at the Olympic ‌Games.

The IOC said it will continue to “not organise IOC events in Russia or invite Russian government or state officials to its events”.

Some Russian athletes competed at both the 2024 Paris Games and this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan as neutrals.

Just 32 athletes from Russia and Belarus competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics as approved neutrals, and combined to win five medals. The Russian team had more than 300 athletes at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and won 71 medals.

Russia welcomed the IOC’s decision, saying the Games must be “free from politics”.

“The IOC is sending a clear signal: the Olympic movement must remain free from politics,” Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev said on Telegram, adding that Russia planned to participate in qualifiers for the 2028 Olympics.

The IOC says it still “strongly condemns” the Russian invasion of Ukraine but “recognises that an athlete’s participation in international competition should not be limited by the involvement of their government in a war or conflict”.

In May, World Athletics rejected a recommendation by the IOC that a ban on Belarusian athletes and teams competing under the flag of their nation should be lifted.

Given Russia’s war with Ukraine continues, this will be a highly controversial decision by the IOC, and one likely to be condemned by European countries in particular.

However, it is not a surprise.

In February, IOC president Kirsty Coventry spoke about the importance of 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.”

Although she did not directly reference any particular country, the comments were widely interpreted to be hinting at a potential lifting of the partial Olympic ban on Russia, and it soon became clear that the IOC was considering reinstatement.

In March, came another crucial step when the International Paralympic Committee ended Russia’s long exile from global sports events, with the country’s athletes allowed to compete under their national flag at the Winter Paralympics for the first time since 2014.

The decision was condemned by Ukraine and other European countries but it paved the way for the IOC to follow suit.

It will have noted no athletes boycotted the actual Paralympic competition, although some did stay away from the opening ceremony, and it will be interesting to see whether the same happens in Los Angeles.

The IOC has always insisted Russia was banned not because of the invasion per se, but because the Russian Olympic Committee effectively took over regional sports organisations in occupied Ukrainian territories.

It now claims that this is no longer the case, and so legally the ban should not stand.

What has gone unsaid is that many within the IOC were also mindful of the current geopolitical landscape, and accusations of double-standards if the sanction against Russia was maintained, while other countries who have launched military action against other nations escape punishment.

Critics however will insist that Russia’s ban should only end when and if it withdraws from Ukraine, and that the IOC’s move risks emboldening President Vladimir Putin, and handing him a propaganda win.