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World Athletics to decide in July on Russia’s participation in 2026 Youth Summer Olympics

Pyot Fradkov, chairman of the All-Russia Athletics Federation, said the Russian side is not giving up and continuing the negotiations

MOSCOW, June 10. /TASS/. The world governing body of track and field athletics, World Athletics, is set to make a decision in July regarding Russian athletes’ admission to the 2026 Youth Summer Olympic Games in Senegal, Pyot Fradkov, chairman of the All-Russia Athletics Federation (RusAF), said on Wednesday.

"We are not making a secret of our close cooperation with World Athletics, including correspondence and other contacts," Fradkov said, speaking at a session of the State Duma (the Russian parliament’s lower house) Committee on Physical Culture and Sports.

"I must say that some of our colleagues have sided with extreme positions and attempt to connect everything with politics," he continued. "We are not giving up and continuing the negotiations."

"We are currently focused on discussions on the admission of our young athletes to the Youth Olympic Games in Senegal in October 2026," Fradkov noted. "We assume that the World Athletics Council will consider this issue in early July following recommendations issued by the International Olympic Committee [IOC]."

"Numerous [international sports] federations have followed the recommendations, while others have not yet done so," Fradkov added.

IOC sanctions against Russia

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.