"Everyone except Russia is cleared," IOC to lift sanctions on Belarus... "Likely to compete at LA Olympics under their own flag"

*This content was translated by AI.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is showing signs of moving to lift sports sanctions against Belarus for its alignment with the invasion of Ukraine. Consequently, it is highly likely that Belarusian athletes will be able to compete normally starting from the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics.

According to foreign media outlets including the UK's BBC on the 8th (Korean time), the IOC recently passed through its executive board and formally urged each international sports federation (IF) and the organizing committees of events to lift sanctions to allow Belarus's return to the international stage.

Until now, Belarusian athletes, like their Russian counterparts, were required to compete in events only under the status of "neutral athletes," unable to use their national flag or anthem. However, with this new recommendation, the path has opened for them to compete with their national flag on their chests at the LA Olympics. Sanctions against Russia, the party to the war, will remain unchanged.

An IOC representative explained the background of the sanction relief, stating, "The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Belarus is currently operating normally in strict compliance with the Olympic Charter," and "It is our firm principle that athletes should not be disadvantaged in their participation in international competitions due to the military and political actions of their government."

In fact, signs of sanction relief are being detected in some corners of the sports world. The World Aquatics Federation lifted its regulations last month, and at the Winter Paralympics held earlier this year, both Russia and Belarus participated in the event under their own national flags.

However, the stance in the athletics world remains firm. The World Athletics Federation immediately rejected the IOC's recommendation, drawing a line by stating, "We will adhere to the sanctions resolution passed in March 2022 until concrete progress is confirmed in peace negotiations."

Regarding this IOC decision, the US ESPN noted that "the recommendation does not carry binding force on the sports federations," but also analyzed that "as the LA Olympics approach, it is possible that this is a preemptive move by the IOC to rescue the thoroughly isolated Russia."

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*This content was translated by AI.