Kirsty Coventry and the International Olympic Committee have been receiving universal praise for a year for their efforts. However, their latest press conference stirred controversy when they made a surprising policy shift, which was met with defiance from World Athletics itself.

This comes amid the International Olympic Committee urging sports federations to lift their bans on Belarusian athletes and teams. However, World Athletics was quick to respond. They reasserted their stance on restricting Belarusian athletes from competing under their nation’s flag.

“As a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, World Athletics sanctions implemented in March 2022, excluding Belarusian and Russian athletes, officials and supporting personnel from competition, remain in place,” a spokesperson for the organisation said, according to BBC.

“Our council has made a clear decision that when there is tangible movement towards peace negotiations, it can begin to review its decisions. We all hope this will be soon, but until that happens, the council continues to be united in standing behind the decision it made in March 2022 and revisited in 2023 and 2025.”

Both Russia and Belarus were suspended in 2022, banning them from the Olympics until the 2026 Winter Games, which allowed neutral athletes.

Furthermore, the International Paralympic Committee and World Aquatics have lifted their bans on the two countries. That saw Russian and Belarusian athletes compete under their own flag for the first time since 2022 at the 2026 Paralympic Games. The decision, however, didn’t go down well with fans and federations worldwide, with many boycotting the opening ceremony in protest.

But now the IOC itself has changed its stance on Belarus. Things haven’t changed regarding Russia and its Olympic Committee, as the ban on the country remains in place. At a press conference, President Kirsty Coventry addressed the matter, and the IOC then released an official statement.

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board (EB) no longer recommends any restrictions on the participation of Belarusian athletes, including teams, in competitions governed by International Federations (IFs) and international sports event organisers,” read the statement.

“The IOC EB today lifted the recommended conditions of participation for International Federations and international sports, event organisers of 28 February 2022 and 28 March 2023 as they relate to Belarus and Belarusian athletes, including the protective measures.”

However, while World Athletics has made its stance clear, the IOC’s recommendation has been welcomed elsewhere. The IOC’s recommendation was welcomed by the National Olympic Committee of Belarus, which quickly responded.

National Olympic Committee of Belarus responds to the IOC’s recommendation

The IOC and Kirsty Coventry’s latest recommendation comes less than three months after the IOC president foreshadowed tough conversations ahead. That took place just before the 2026 Olympics began, and it’s now clear what the former Olympian was referring to. Now, the IOC’s green light allows Belarusian athletes to compete again under their own flag across various sports.

The IOC justified that by asserting that the National Olympic Committee of Belarus has been in good standing with them. They also pointed to the fact that the NOC “complies with the Olympic Charter” and to its low number of anti-doping violations. Coventry did clarify that while the IOC refused to “merge the anti-doping allegations”, it did play a part.

That becomes a big deal with just under two years left for the 2028 LA Olympics. The IOC’s decision went down well with the National Olympic Committee of Belarus, which welcomed it.

“On behalf of the entire Belarusian sporting community, we express our gratitude to IOC President Kirsty Coventry for her balanced and principled position,” the committee said, according to Reform.news.

“We express hope for the swift restoration of the rights of all athletes who have faced restrictions for political reasons. We expect that the decision of the International Olympic Committee will become a decisive guideline for international sports federations, which will promptly lift all restrictions on Belarusian athletes across all sports.”

Yet despite the IOC’s recommendation, World Athletics has shown no signs of backing down. That leaves Belarusian athletes stuck in limbo, welcomed by some federations but still blocked by others.

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