Olympics Officials Signal Possible End to Russia Sports Sanctions

At a two-day International Olympic Committee meeting in Milan this week, members signaled a willingness to ease years of restrictions on Russia that were imposed over a state-backed doping program and the invasion of Ukraine. I.O.C. president Kirsty Coventry did not name Russia in her address but said, "We are a sports organization," adding, "We understand politics, and we know we don’t operate in a vacuum...

But our game is sport... That means keeping sport a neutral ground." Some international federations have already rolled back measures: the governing bodies for judo and taekwondo ended bans on Russian athletes, and the I.O.C. recommended that Russian and Belarusian youth athletes be allowed back into international competitions, opening the door to the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar.