World Athletics has refused to lift its ban on Belarusian athletes, rejecting a fresh recommendation from the International Olympic Committee and putting Lord Coe’s federation at odds with Olympic leadership.
The IOC’s executive board issued the guidance on Thursday, urging international sports federations to welcome Belarusian competitors back into the fold while keeping Russia frozen out. Both countries have been barred from flying their flags at major events since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Within hours, the body that runs track, field and road running globally made clear it would not follow the IOC’s lead.
“As a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, World Athletics sanctions implemented in March 2022 excluding Belarusian and Russian athletes, officials and supporting personnel from competition remain in place,” a World Athletics official said.
“Our Council has made a clear decision that when there is tangible movement towards peace negotiations it can begin to review its decisions. We all hope this will be soon, but until that happens the Council continues to be united in standing behind the decision it made in March 2022 and revisited in 2023 and 2025.”
The IOC drew a sharp line between the two banned countries. It said the National Olympic Committee of Belarus “is in good standing and complies with the Olympic Charter,” while Russia’s case is held up by fresh doping concerns. The committee said allowing Belarusian athletes back “reaffirms that athletes’ participation in international competition should not be limited by the actions of their governments, including involvement in a war or conflict.”
A partial ban in place since 2023 has already allowed athletes from both countries to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes, without national anthems or team colours. Belarusian silver medallist Viyaleta Bardzilouskaya competed under that arrangement at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Belarus has not competed under its own flag since the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The World Athletics decision covers qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, the world championships, Diamond League meetings and major marathons. The qualification window opens this summer.
Lord Coe, a two-time Olympic 1500m champion, has taken the firmest stance of any major federation chief. He travelled to Ukraine before the Paris Games to meet local athletes and the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a trip read inside the sport as a signal he would not budge under pressure.
The reaction from Kyiv on Thursday was furious. The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine expressed its “categorical protest and deep disappointment” with the IOC, saying Belarusian territory is still being used to launch missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities.
Vadym Gutzeit, the Ukrainian NOC president, called the IOC guidance “a dangerous precedent for the entire international sports movement.” He added that the world had been sent a signal that “a country that supports military aggression and is an accomplice in the war against Ukraine can return to the international arena without being held accountable for its actions.”
World Athletics is now out of step with several other federations. The International Paralympic Committee lifted its ban in September 2025, ahead of the 2026 Winter Paralympics. World Aquatics has also opened the door for swimmers from both countries to return under their flags. Fifa president Gianni Infantino indicated in February that football will look at lifting its Russia ban, a move Ukraine’s sports minister Matvii Bidnyi called “irresponsible.”
The IOC’s softer tone on Belarus also reflects a change at the top. Kirsty Coventry, the former Zimbabwean swimmer elected IOC president in March 2025, hinted in February that Russia could compete at the Games in Los Angeles in two years’ time. Thursday’s recommendation is being read in athletics circles as the first concrete step in that direction.
For now, runners hoping to see Belarus represented under its own flag at a World Athletics event will have to wait. While the war in Ukraine grinds on, the sport’s governing body has chosen to stay on the harder side of the line.
