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The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and national sports federations, has sent 30 official letters to international sports federations calling for athletes from Russia and Belarus not to be allowed to compete under national flags, anthems and state symbols.
The move followed a decision by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee on May 7, 2026, to amend its recommendations regarding the participation of Belarusian athletes in international competitions under national symbols. As the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine noted, a number of international federations subsequently began considering the possibility of restoring not only Belarusian but also Russian athletes’ participation under state symbols.
The appeals were sent to the international federations governing boxing, volleyball, judo, hockey, shooting, sailing, rowing, speed skating, basketball, cycling, equestrian sports, bobsleigh and skeleton, wrestling, figure skating, modern pentathlon, swimming, tennis, canoe and kayak, athletics, roller sports, triathlon, archery, American football, baseball, luge, rugby, sport climbing, weightlifting and football.
In the letters, the Ukrainian side stated that decisions on the participation of athletes from what it described as aggressor states are being considered while Russia continues its war against Ukraine and Belarus remains complicit in the aggression by providing its territory and infrastructure for military operations. Ukraine also highlighted the impact of the war on domestic sport, including the destruction of sports infrastructure and the deaths of more than 600 athletes and coaches since the start of the full-scale invasion.
The Ukrainian side urged the federations to take into account the IOC’s decision to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee, adopted in 2023, as well as the findings of the World Anti-Doping Agency regarding systemic anti-doping rule violations in Russian sport.