The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has asked international sports organizations to end the three-year ban on Russian athletes from participating in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.The decision follows the IOC’s recommendation two months ago that athletes from Russia and Belarus be allowed to compete again for their countries. Belarus was part of the Russian army during the invasion of Ukraine.“The IOC stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian Olympic team, which the Olympic team has supported since the beginning of the war, and will continue to do so,” the IOC said in a statement after its executive meeting.The IOC also changed the conditions for Russian athletes and teams to compete at IOC meetings and temporarily suspended the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, which had been in place since October 2023.The suspension was imposed after the Russian Olympic Committee included regional sports councils from territories annexed by Ukraine. The IOC said this no longer applies.“The decision was taken following a thorough review by the IOC’s Legal Affairs Commission, considering that the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) does not include as its members the regional sports organizations under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine,” the IOC said.Only 32 athletes from Russia and Belarus competed as neutral athletes at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where they won five medals. By comparison, Russia had more than 300 athletes at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, winning 71 medals.The IOC has not yet decided whether Russian athletes and teams will be allowed to compete under the Russian flag and national anthem.The decision will come “at the right time,” the IOC said.The next Olympic event on the calendar is the 2026 Summer Youth Games in Dakar, Senegal, which begin on October 31.The IOC also said Russian athletes must undergo multiple tests and be part of an official anti-doping program before returning to international competition.The measures are necessary to “address the uncertainty of the international sports community regarding the return of Russian athletes to international competition,” the IOC said.The Olympic Committee has also confirmed that it will continue to “not organize IOC events in Russia or invite officials of the Russian government or government to its events.”