In an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS on Tuesday, Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said Moscow remains engaged in efforts to restore its presence in international sport, while already planning for Dakar 2026 and mapping a route back to the Olympic stage ahead of 2028.
Tensions have been sharpened by a recent decision from the International Olympic Committee Executive Board, which recommended lifting all remaining restrictions on Belarusian athletes—allowing both individual and team participation—while keeping sanctions on Russian competitors firmly in place.
Degtyarev, who also serves as president of the Russian Olympic Committee, did not hide Moscow’s dissatisfaction, but struck a measured tone, signalling a preference for diplomacy over confrontation. “While we are not satisfied with the IOC’s decision, we will act pragmatically,” he said. He pointed to Belarus’s reinstatement as a notable political signal, adding that it marked the first time in years the IOC had publicly acknowledged what he described as constructive engagement with the ROC.
That nuance is now being recast by the Russian official as a source of leverage. In his remarks to TASS, he said the Russian Olympic Committee’s legal team has already opened lines of communication with the International Olympic Committee, alongside his own direct contacts, while preparations for upcoming competitions continue unchanged. “Our lawyers, and I personally, have been in touch with the IOC administration. Dialogue is ongoing. We are not altering our plans—we are preparing for the Youth Olympic Games in Senegal this year and for qualification events ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in the United States,” said Mikhail Degtyarev.
Degtyarev’s interpretation extends beyond the Olympic movement to the wider network of international federations, where he believes Russia’s standing is beginning to improve after years of near-total isolation. He suggested that while the initial aim had been a gradual return under neutral status, the situation is now evolving towards broader reinstatement under national identity. “We are now returning with our flag and anthem, and the results speak for themselves—this year, our athletes will be admitted to almost all international competitions,” he said.
He framed this as a projection grounded in ongoing negotiations rather than a settled consensus across all governing bodies. “This is my assessment based on our dialogue and engagement with international organisations,” he added, noting that Russian symbols are already reappearing at certain events—an indication, in his view, of shifting attitudes, even as IOC restrictions on senior athletes remain in force.
Another strand of Degtyarev’s argument centres on the Olympic truce, which he links to the sanctions imposed on Russian sport since 2022. He claimed the IOC itself had weakened that principle in responding to questions in March about a potential suspension of Israel over its military actions in the region. According to Degtyarev, the IOC described the Olympic truce resolution as “declarative and non-binding.” He used that point to underline Russia’s opposition to excluding nations from sport. “We do not support suspensions—whether of Israel, the United States, or any other country. Sport should unite, not divide,” he said.
