On May 7, 2026, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to once again allow Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions within the Olympic Movement, and the same recommendation has been made to the international sports federations. As for Russian athletes, there has been no change; the neutrality criteria remain unchanged for Russian athletes.

Since the start of the war, the Finnish Olympic Committee, together with its member organizations, has strongly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has actively worked to ensure that Russian and Belarusian athletes are barred from participating in international competitions.

– The worst-case scenario has not materialized, and Russia remains barred from competitions within the Olympic Movement. There has been no significant change in the war situation that would justify allowing Belarusians to regain access to international competitions under their national flags, says Riku Tapio, CEO of the Olympic Committee.

The Finnish Olympic Committee’s stance on international competitions is clear.

– It is our duty to ensure that Finnish athletes and their support teams are strongly and clearly represented at international competitions, even if the Belarusian participants compete under their national flags. We will continue to work to ensure that the situation regarding Russia’s right to participate does not change, Riku Tapio assures us.

The Finnish Olympic Committee regularly assesses the evolving situation and maintains an ongoing dialogue with the Finnish government, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and other key authorities. The Finnish Olympic Committee makes its decisions regarding Russia’s war of aggression in close cooperation with the Olympic Committees of Ukraine, the other Nordic countries, and the Baltic countries.  

Read the IOC’s news release on this.

Additional information:

Riku Tapio, Executive Director, Finnish Olympic Committee
050 3405550