Open Letter to the IOC and International Federations: The International Olympic Committee and International Federations Continue to Kowtow to Russia
9 February 2026: As the 2026 Olympic Games have begun, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and several International Federations (IFs) are undermining the values of peace, unity, and respect they claim to uphold by allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Milano–Cortina 2026 Olympic Games under the guise of Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN).
From the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has weaponized sport as a tool of state propaganda, using athletic success to legitimize an unlawful and devastating war. The IOC’s decision to permit Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to the Olympic stage, even under a so-called neutral status, plays directly into this strategy. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has only intensified since 2022. The fact that the IOC is easing restrictions against Russia suggests that even under the new presidency of Kirsty Coventry, it remains influenced by the very political forces it claims to stand apart from.
The IOC granted AIN status to 13 Russian athletes and 7 Belarusian athletes for the Milano-Cortina Games. Participation is a political act with real-world consequences. The Olympics claim to be one of the most powerful global platforms for national prestige and legitimacy. Nations compete under their flags precisely because athletic achievement serves as a projection of national identity and power. Each of these athletes, regardless of the removal of flags, anthems, or state colors will be exploited by Putin as evidence that Russia is being quietly reintegrated into the international community without accountability.
The AIN designation is a guise, not a solution. The so-called "neutral" status fails to address fundamental realities:
These athletes have been developed, trained, and funded through Russian and Belarusian state sport systems that remain deeply intertwined with military and state apparatus.
Many continue to train in state-funded facilities and receive support from national sport structures.
The IOC's vetting process has proven inadequate; it cannot truly assess which athletes have supported the war, have ties to military or security services, or will be used for propaganda purposes upon their return.
Russian state media will celebrate every AIN medal as a Russian victory, regardless of whether a flag is raised. The Kremlin controls the narrative domestically, and a neutral status provides no barrier to propaganda exploitation.
History has already shown us that "neutral" designations don't work: Russian athletes competing as "Olympic Athletes from Russia" (OAR) at the 2018 PyeongChang Games were still celebrated as national heroes and used to bolster Putin's image.
The AIN framework creates the illusion of accountability while delivering none of its substance. It allows the IOC to claim it has taken a principled stand while capitulating to pressure to readmit Russia through the back door. Allowing participation while the war continues sends a dangerous message: that aggression, war crimes, and the violation of international law can be set aside in the name of “sporting neutrality.”
With Games in full swing, and as Russia also carries out cyber attacks on the Games, the international sporting movement is choosing once again to accommodate Russia. In doing so, it is sidelining the voices, suffering, and legitimate concerns of Ukrainian athletes, many of whom have had their training facilities destroyed and their teammates killed in this war, and the thousands of athletes and supporters worldwide who have called for Russia and Belarus to remain banned.
The Olympic Movement claims to stand for peace, unity, and respect, but promoting the idea that the Olympics can unite the world through sport ignores the reality that an active war is ongoing. Sport cannot serve as a substitute for accountability, nor can it obscure the realities of armed conflict. Attempts to present international competition as a unifying gesture, absent meaningful change on the ground, reduce these values to slogans rather than standards.
Now is the time for sport to show leadership, not weakness. The global sporting community must stand together and demand that the IOC increase sanctions on Russia, not relax them. Russia should only be allowed back when the war ends and Russia withdraws from Ukraine. The peaceful nation of Ukraine needs support, not enablers.
We call on athletes, sponsors, and sporting officials to sign this open letter by emailing hello@globalathlete.org