Russian athletes had been excluded from the Games since 2023 because of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The International Olympic Committee has paved the way for Russian athletes to compete at the LA 2028 Olympics.

Reversing the ban put in place in October 2023, due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine a year earlier, the IOC has announced that Russian athletes can participate at the Games if they "meet relevant anti-doping requirements".

The IOC determined the Russian Olympic Committee no longer includes regional sports organisations from territories under Ukrainian jurisdiction, and the ROC has confirmed it will not conduct activities in those territories.

With qualification for the Games already underway across multiple sports, the IOC also cited the need to offer equal access to all athletes as a key factor in the timing.

The IOC added that it will continue to "not organise IOC events in Russia or invite Russian government or state officials to its events".

A decision on whether athletes can compete under the Russian flag, and whether the country's anthem will be played, will be determined at a later date.

A total of 32 athletes from Russia and Belarus competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), where the Olympic anthem would have been played if they secured a gold medal.

World Athletics has excluded Russian and Belarusian athletes from any international competition since March 2022. Just two days ago World Athletics President Sebastian Coe stated that "no tangible movement towards peace negotiations has materialised", with the council upholding its decision to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes.

In its deliberations, the council was cognisant of the wider impact of the conflict on Ukraine athletics, for example, the ability to hold domestic competitions regularly, impacting on their ability to achieve qualification standards and/or earn ranking points, the numbers of Ukrainian athletes who are able to compete, and the severely compromised athletics infrastructure within Ukraine.

World Athletics also established a fund in 2022 to support Ukraine to help ameliorate some of that impact. In May, the global governing body rejected a recommendation by the IOC that a ban on Belarusian athletes and teams competing under the flag of their nation should be lifted.