---
title: "\"In most sports they will be\": Gutzeit assesses chances of Russians and Belarusians at the next Olympics"
description: "Head of the NOC of Ukraine Vadym Gutzeit stated that athletes from Russia and Belarus may return to the next Olympic Games in most sports due to changing IOC rhetoric."
date: 2026-10-06T09:58:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/gutzeit-assesses-chances-of-russians-and-belarusians-at-next-olympics
tags: [olympics, ioc, vadym-gutzeit, russia, belarus, sports-politics]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "In most sports they will be": Gutzeit assesses chances of Russians and Belarusians at the next Olympics

![Vadym Gutzeit comments on the potential return of Russian athletes to the Olympics](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/06/guttsayt-otsiniv-shansi-rosiyan-i-bielorusiv-na-olimpiadi/guttsayt-otsiniv-shansi-rosiyan-i-bielorusiv-na-olimpiadi-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Russian and Belarusian athletes may return to the Olympics in most sports.
- Head of the NOC of Ukraine Vadym Gutzeit attributes this to a change in IOC rhetoric.
- Ukraine continues its fight and gathers evidence of Russian athletes' involvement in propaganda in occupied territories.
- The previous four-year ban was the result of large-scale work by the Ukrainian sports leadership.

Head of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine Vadym Gutzeit has made a resonant statement regarding the prospects of athletes from Russia and Belarus returning to future Olympic Games. According to him, the new recommendations of the International Olympic Committee pose a direct threat that athletes from these countries will again appear in major global competitions across most disciplines.

### Change in IOC rhetoric and global context

In his interview, Vadym Gutzeit noted that the situation regarding the suspension of representatives from aggressor states has become critically complicated due to the transformation of the IOC leadership's position. While previously, through the joint efforts of the Ukrainian side, ministries, and national federations, it was possible to achieve the complete absence of athletes from Russia and Belarus at such high-level events, maintaining the previous strict course is now practically impossible due to shifting attitudes among world politicians.

### Background and initial signals

The head of the NOC of Ukraine emphasized that the absence of Russian and Belarusian athletes over the past four years was the result of colossal diplomatic and organizational work. The first alarming signals about the upcoming softening of the IOC's position began to arrive during autumn meetings with the organization's management and relevant departments, where the thesis about the inadmissibility of punishing the younger generation of athletes, particularly in the context of preparations for the Youth Olympics in Senegal, was actively promoted.

### Further steps and Ukraine's struggle

 Despite unfavorable trends and severe pressure from sports officials, the Ukrainian side does not intend to give up or surrender. Currently, relevant departments and federations are actively gathering evidence confirming the direct involvement of individual Russian athletes in military aggression and their participation in propaganda events in the occupied territories to use these facts on international platforms.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- ["В большинстве видов они будут": Гутцайт оценил шансы россиян и белорусов на следующей Олимпиаде](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/othersport/u-bilshosti-vidiv-voni-budut-guttsayt-otsiniv-1791280447.html) - Первоисточник интервью с Вадимом Гутцайтом.
- [МОК о нейтральном статусе: «Рекомендации, касающиеся российских спортсменов и команд, более не ...](https://www.sports.ru/athletics/1117285415-mok-o-nejtralnom-statuse-rekomendaczii-kasayushhiesya-rossijskix-sport.html) - Подтверждает изменение риторики и статуса рекомендаций МОК.
- [МОК снял отстранение с России, но спортсменов могут не пустить на соревнования](https://fedpress.ru/news/77/society/3443380) - Контекст обсуждения допуска российских атлетов.
- [«Допуск – лучшая новость за 100 лет!» Россия ликует, а в Европе против МОК](https://www.sports.ru/athletics/blogs/3419646.html) - Подтверждает изменение риторики и статуса рекомендаций МОК.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Why might Russian and Belarusian athletes be allowed back to the Olympics?
**A:** Due to changing rhetoric from the International Olympic Committee and shifting attitudes among world politicians.

### Q: What is Ukraine doing in this situation?
**A:** Ukraine is continuing the fight, holding high-level consultations, and gathering evidence of Russian athletes participating in propaganda actions in occupied territories.