GENEVA, May 7. /TASS/. The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recommended to lift all previously imposed restrictions against athletes from Belarus, both in individual and team competitions, the IOC press office said in a statement on Thursday.
"The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board (EB) no longer recommends any restrictions on the participation of Belarusian athletes, including teams, in competitions governed by International Federations (IFs) and international sports event organizers," the statement reads.
"The IOC EB today lifted the recommended conditions of participation for International Federations and international sports event organizers of February 28, 2022 and March 28, 2023 as they relate to Belarus and Belarusian athletes, including the protective measures," according to the IOC.
The statement also said that: "The situation relating to the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is different from that relating to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Belarus."
"The NOC of Belarus is in good standing and complies with the Olympic Charter. Whilst the ROC has held constructive exchanges with the IOC on its suspension, it remains suspended while the IOC Legal Affairs Commission continues to review the matter," the statement said.
"The IOC EB also noted with concern the recent information that has led to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) looking into the Russian anti-doping system. The IOC EB would therefore like to obtain a better understanding of this situation," according to the statement.
On February 28, 2022, the IOC issued recommendations to international sports federations to prohibit athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.
Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.
In December 2025, the IOC Executive Board issued recommendations that allowed athletes in international federations from Russia and Belarus to participate in youth disciplines under the national flags and anthems. This recommendation applied to both individual and team sports. Numerous international sports federations followed the proposal.