Ukraine has warned international sporting bodies to keep restrictions on Russia in place.
Basketball and motorsport have followed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in opening routes back into competition for Russian and Belarusian athletes.
In 2022, Russian military forces entered Ukraine, which prompted sporting organisations to place restrictions on the country. Four years on, the conflict is ongoing, but bans are beginning to be lifted.
Most recently, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) removed restrictions preventing Russian and Belarusian players, coaches, referees and other officials from participating in its basketball and 3×3 competitions.
National teams and clubs are still excluded, but FIBA has said that it is exploring how they could be reintegrated.
The organisation is expected to consider potential measures in December, with areas including player safety, travel, logistics and anti-doping requirements still needing to be addressed. FIBA said the work will be part of preparations for the road to LA28, the next edition of the Summer Olympic Games.
Basketball’s move follows changes made by the IOC in July, when it provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). ROC was banned in October 2023 because it took over sports teams in captured parts of Ukraine. However, the IOC concluded that the grounds for the suspension no longer applied due to those organisations being removed from the ROC.
Russian participation was already possible under significant restrictions, with Russian athletes competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Athletes competed as Individual Neutral Athletes and were subject to eligibility checks, including requirements around public support for the war.
The IOC has since stopped advising many of those restrictions, stating that participation in international sport shouldn’t be determined by a government’s involvement in a conflict.
Motorsport on the same track
The FIA has also recently eased measures introduced after the invasion, with its World Motor Sport Council voting on 3 August to remove restrictions affecting Russian and Belarusian competitors.
The FIA originally introduced emergency measures in March 2022 in response to Russia’s invasion and Belarus’ support. However, the governing body isn’t returning to its pre-war position, as events are banned from being held in Russia and Belarus, and the FIA has said it will monitor developments in Ukraine and could alter its approach again.
Other governing bodies are currently deciding whether to keep measures in place or follow suit. In July, FIFA told Sky News in a statement that it was aware of the IOC decision to lift the suspension of the ROC, adding that it will “analyse the decision before deciding on next steps in coordination with the relevant stakeholders.”
Ukraine warns of unravelling work
Ukraine has consistently opposed governing bodies loosening restrictions on Russia and Belarus. Matvii Bidnyi, Ukraine’s Minister for Youth and Sport, told BBC Sport that there had been no change in the circumstances that led to Russia being restricted from international competition.
“The reasons why Russia was banned from international sports competition have not disappeared,” he said.
Bidnyi explained that relaxing sporting sanctions weakens the international pressure placed on Russia while attacks on Ukraine continue. He told the BBC that the decision was a “massive disappointment” for Ukrainians and warned that moving towards reinstatement risks undermining the response built since 2022.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a similar argument following the IOC decision in July, describing it as a “deeply concerning signal” and urging international federations to keep restrictions in place.
