The International Olympic Committee (IOC) moves closer to allowing Russia to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics with a full team and the use of its national flag and anthem. On Tuesday, the IOC provisionally lifts its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and instructs Olympic sports bodies to end a three-year programme that has been vetting Russian athletes for eligibility to compete as neutrals. The IOC says the change is timed with the start of qualifying events for the Los Angeles Games and is meant to ensure equal access to those competitions for all athletes. The decision also points to Russia’s return in team sports. IOC President Kirsty Coventry says the IOC does not want athletes held responsible for actions of their governments. Reporting also notes that Russia and Belarus have previously competed only as approved neutrals, with limited participation at the 2024 Paris Olympics, while Russia fielded a much larger team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The IOC’s move is described as provisional, with details of how it will be implemented across sports bodies following the IOC’s guidance.