IOC Signals Russia Could Participate in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

JAKARTA - President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Kirsty Coventry, gave a strong signal that Russia could return to participating in the 2028 Summer Olympics which will take place in Los Angeles, United States.

The signal was delivered by Coventry when he gave a speech at the 145th IOC Congress which took place in Milan, Italy. Although he did not mention Russia specifically, he emphasized that all athletes should be allowed to compete in sports.

"We understand politics. We know that we do not operate in a vacuum, but our game is a sport. That means keeping the sport as a neutral field," he said, quoted by The Guardian.

This was conveyed a day after FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he wanted Russia to return to participating in international football. The statement then caused controversy and counter-arguments from the Ukrainian side.

Ukraine's Minister of Sport, Matvii Bidnyi, even called Infantino irresponsible and childish for trying to draw a line between politics and sports.

Coventry said sport should be a place for all athletes to compete freely without being hampered by political affairs and divisions between their governments and other countries.

"In an increasingly divided world, this principle is more important than ever. This is what makes the Olympics remain a place of inspiration where the world's athletes can gather and showcase the best," he said.

The speech was clearly referring to Russia, which has been ostracized from international sports since launching an attack on Ukraine in 2022. Coventry's statement was also welcomed by the Russian Olympic Committee.

Russia has been banned by FIFA and UEFA since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Their teams are allowed to play friendly matches, but cannot take part in competitions such as the men's and women's World Cups, the Euros, or junior competitions.

However, Infantino has consistently insisted that Russia must return to international competition. In an interview earlier this week, he insisted that the ban had achieved nothing so it must be re-evaluated.

Bidnyi also immediately issued a spicy response to the interview. He said that Infantino turned a blind eye to so many victims since Russia's invasion.

"Let me remind you that since the start of Russia's full-scale aggression, more than 650 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed by Russia. Among them are 100 football players," he said.