Russia says it will try to host the Olympic Games again, even though it is currently banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The country hopes to host both the Summer and Winter Games in the future.
Russian Sports Minister and head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Mikhail Degtyarev, confirmed in an interview with state news agency TASS that they plan to submit bids to host the Games. He said Russia has the experience, buildings, and hospitality needed to organise a top-level event.
Degtyarev said: “We will definitely bid to host the Olympics again. We have done it twice before, and we’re ready to do it again. Sooner or later, we will restore our ties with the Olympic Movement.”
Russia hosted the Summer Olympics in Moscow in 1980 and the Winter Games in Sochi in 2014. But since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s relationship with global sport has worsened.
Degtyarev also said alternative events are not a proper replacement for the Olympics. He mentioned past examples like the Friendship Games and Goodwill Games, saying they lacked the true competition and unity that the Olympics provide.
He said: “These alternative events don’t help athletes in the long run. They only hold back international sport. We want to return to the Olympic family, not replace it.”
In 2022, the IOC asked all sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions because of the war in Ukraine. Many international sports followed that advice. In 2023, the IOC changed its rules slightly, allowing some athletes to compete under strict conditions if they do not support the war or have ties to the military. These athletes must compete as neutrals, without their country’s flag or anthem.
Still, Russian and Belarusian teams are banned, and these restrictions are expected to stay in place for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy.
The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in October 2023 after it added councils from parts of Ukraine taken over by Russia. The IOC said this broke the Olympic rules.
Despite this, Degtyarev believes Russia will return to world sport. He pointed to the success of the 2018 FIFA World Cup hosted in Russia as proof that the country can handle big sporting events.
He said: “People still remember how friendly and welcoming Russia was during the 2018 World Cup. Cities like Moscow, Kazan, Sochi, and others showed the world what we can do.”
Degtyarev also recently visited the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. He said there are still many memories of the Moscow 1980 and Sochi 2014 Games on display, including mascots, badges, and other memorabilia.
He criticised political actions that have affected sport, saying: “The Olympics are supposed to bring people together, not divide them. Boycotts are wrong now just as they were in the past. We must move forward.”
Although some Russian athletes may be allowed to take part in the Paris 2024 Olympics under neutral status, it is still unclear how many will qualify or how other countries will react. Russia remains excluded from taking part as a nation, and there is no sign this will change before Milano Cortina 2026.
But Degtyarev’s words show that Russia is still keen to return to the international sports scene and one day host the Olympic Games again.
