Russia has moved a step closer to returning to the Olympic movement, but its athletes will still compete without the country's flag, colours or national anthem.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), paving the way for Russia's gradual return to international sport.
However, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said restrictions on national symbols will remain in place for now, according to reports.
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The ROC had been suspended in October 2023 after recognising sports organisations in four Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine, a move the IOC said violated the Olympic Charter.
According to BBC Sport, the suspension was eased after those regional bodies were removed from the ROC's membership.
The decision is significant for one of the world's most successful Olympic nations. Since competing independently after the Soviet Union's dissolution, Russia has won more than 1,000 Olympic medals, including over 400 golds.
Over the years, Russia has produced several global sporting icons, including tennis players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, wrestling legend Aleksandr Karelin and Olympic swimming champion Yevgeny Rylov.
Russia has faced sweeping sporting sanctions since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
FIFA and UEFA suspended its national and club teams, keeping sides like Zenit St Petersburg. CSKA Moscow and Spartak Moscow out of European competitions.
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Russian and Belarusian players were also banned from the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, before returning as neutral athletes the following year.
Russian athletes who competed at the Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics did so as Individual Neutral Athletes. While the IOC's latest decision marks a thaw in relations, Russia's full return to the Games under its own flag remains uncertain.
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