Russia must only participate in the 2028 Olympic Games if its team is allowed to compete under the national flag and anthem, senior lawmaker Sergey Neverov told Russian media outlet Abzat.
Neverov, a member of the State Duma Committee on Sports and Physical Culture, said full admission across every sporting discipline is the main requirement for Russian athletes.
Speaking about the national team's prospective return, Neverov said everyone lives in hope that Russian competitors will be admitted to all sports in a full format rather than under neutral status.
He stated that restoring both the Russian flag and the national anthem remains the most important condition for participation in future Olympic competitions.
Flag and Anthem Requirements
The demand highlights ongoing debates over how Russian athletes should be integrated back into major international sporting events ahead of the 2028 Summer Games.
The State Duma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly, the legislative body of the Russian Federation, where parliamentary committees oversee national sports legislation and youth policy.
Sergey Neverov is a veteran Russian politician serving on the sports committee, which monitors athletic governance and national team funding frameworks.
The 2028 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad, are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, California, in the United States.
Politicisation of International Sports
Assessing the current situation regarding the partial admission of Russian athletes to international events, Neverov claimed that administrators across multiple sports have recognized that previous restrictions were politically motivated.
He said officials in sports where admission decisions have been made now understand that competing without Russian athletes lowers overall achievements and harms global sports development.
International sports federations govern individual disciplines around the world, setting competition rules, hosting world championships, and managing qualifying pathways for the Olympic Games.
Restrictions on Russian teams originally led to athletes competing as neutral individuals, prohibited from displaying national symbols, wearing team uniforms, or hearing their national anthem played during victory ceremonies.
Olympic Governing Body Decisions
Neverov's remarks followed recent structural changes by global sports governing bodies regarding the regulatory framework for Russian athletes.
On July 7, the International Olympic Committee cancelled its earlier recommendations to international sports federations and event organizers concerning restrictions on Russian participants.
The decision also included the temporary reinstatement of the rights of the Russian Olympic Committee, allowing the organization to resume official functions within the global Olympic framework.
The International Olympic Committee, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is the non-governmental authority responsible for organizing the Olympic Games and supervising the global Olympic movement.
The Russian Olympic Committee functions as the national body representing Russian sports organizations, managing national team logistics and supporting athletic preparation for international competitions.
