VLADIVOSTOK, September 4. /TASS/. The Russian national Olympic team is preparing under the assumption that it will participate in full at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in the United States, Mikhail Degtyarev, the Russian Sports Minister and the president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), said speaking at the ‘Sports Diplomacy: New Challenges and Opportunities’ session held within the framework of the 2025 Eastern Economic Forum.
The Russian sports chief also commented on the participation of foreign players, or legionnaires, in the country’s Premier League, announcing that they will be capped according to a ‘10+5’ formula, which means ten foreign players on the roster and a maximum of five legionnaires on the field during matches.
TASS has compiled the key statements by the Russian Sports Minister and President of the Russian Olympic Committee Degtyarev.
Reinstatement of Russian athletes’ international rights
The Russian national Olympic team is training under the assumption that it will participate in full at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in the United States. "We will hold the 2nd Summer Spartakiad featuring our strongest athletes. There will be 9,000 of them there," he continued. "This is a domestic competition that will single out the best of the best," Degtyarev said speaking at the ‘Sports Diplomacy: New Challenges and Opportunities’ session held within the framework of the 2025 Eastern Economic Forum.
The IOC (International Olympic Committee) Executive Board must reinstate the rights of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to pave the way for the country returning to international competition. "Until the rights [of the ROC] are restored, no decisions on the admission of the [Russian] national team to international competitions can be made. The first step must be the reinstatement of the Russian Olympic Committee."
Salary cap and legionnaire quota in Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League’s (RPL) football clubs are set to convene an official meeting in the coming days, and one of the topics on the docket might be instituting a league-wide salary cap. "A salary cap might be on the agenda, why not?" Degtyarev said.
Clubs will be limited in the amount of foreign players they can roster according to a ‘10+5’ formula: ten on the roster and no more than five on the field at any time. "The state has set a target, and now it is the clubs’ task to develop their academies, search for young football talent and take precautions against their further transfers abroad."
Unification of Russian sports federations
The Russian Federation of Skateboarding and the Russian Roller Skate Federation will soon merge into a single organization.
Some Russian winter sports federations will be merged after the 2026 Olympic Games: "Last year, the unification of a number of federations took place, this process will continue."
International sports activities
Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are planning to establish a sports association within the alliance.
The Russian Sports Ministry has reached an agreement with its counterparts from North Korea on the staging of Russian-Korean Games. "We have reached an agreement with North Korea and the organization of the Russian-Korean Games is currently under discussion. We’re all for this and will not alter anything."
A delegation from Russia is preparing to set off to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku for the 2025 CIS (the Commonwealth of Independent States) Games. Russian sports chief Degtyarev will announce a decision on his attendance in due time.