The International Olympic Committee has opened the door for youth athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete once again in the Youth Olympic Games.
Last week, the IOC’s executive board recommended that the athletes from the two nations should be able to compete — both in individual and team events — under the flags of their respective countries, starting with the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.
The two countries were banned from competing by the IOC in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The ban still applies to athletes over the age of 17.
International federations will have to review and give their final approval before next year’s Youth Olympic Games arrive.
“The Olympic Summit recognized that athletes, and in particular youth athletes, should not be held accountable for the actions of their governments,” the IOC said in a release. “Sport is their access to hope, and a way to show that all athletes can respect the same rules and each another.”
The 2026 Youth Olympics will be held from Oct. 31 through Nov. 13. It will be the first IOC event to be staged in Africa and the first Youth Olympic Games held under the tenure of new IOC president Kirsty Coventry, a former competitive swimmer from Zimbabwe.
Swimming is one of the sports that will be contested, with 36 events slated to be staged at the moment.
In particular, Russia’s inclusion should have a big impact on the swimming competition.
At the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Argentina, Russia dominated, winning 13 gold medals and 19 overall medals.
The next closest country in gold medals was Hungary with seven, while China and Italy tied for second in total medals with nine each.
The 2022 Youth Summer Olympics were cancelled due to the COVD-19 pandemic.
