Vladimir Putin used a state-run sports forum in Krasnoyarsk on Friday to apply pressure on the governing bodies still shutting Russia out, three months after the International Olympic Committee reopened a door that FIFA has kept bolted.

The Russian president did not travel to Siberia himself. His message, read to delegates at the 14th Russia: Country of Sports international sports forum, told the hall that the country stood “open to dialogue and cooperation and stand for preserving sports traditions, the fundamental norms of international sports law, while also focusing on advancing and promoting development”, according to state news agency TASS.

The forum ran from 21 to 23 October in Krasnoyarsk under the theme “Sport: Uniting the World in an Era of Change”, with delegations from more than 50 countries.

IOC moved in July; football has not

On 7 July 2026, the IOC provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, nearly two years after barring it for annexing regional councils in occupied Ukrainian territory. The ROC had since removed those regional bodies and pledged not to operate in them, clearing a procedural path towards the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

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The decision does not yet grant Russia its flag or anthem at the Olympics, and individual federations continue to apply their own rules. At Milano Cortina earlier this year, Russian athletes competed as neutrals under federation-specific regimes.

Football has moved in the opposite direction. Russia did not play at the 2026 World Cup in North America, having been barred by FIFA from qualifying since the joint FIFA and UEFA suspension of February 2022.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino told reporters in February that the ban should “definitely” be lifted and that it had “just created more frustration and hatred”. No FIFA Council vote has been scheduled, with resistance strongest among UEFA’s European member associations.

Putin: Russia will stay “integral”

In a separate message to the forum, Putin framed Russia’s position in membership terms rather than exile. The country “has always been and will remain an integral and important part of this family, while reaffirming its commitment to strictly following all the international obligations and justified requirements it assumes”, he said according to TASS.

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The international sports community, he argued in a third address to the forum, was “in the process of returning to the fundamental principles governing the world of sports”.

Russia’s rehabilitation now runs on two tracks. The Olympic track is open under IOC supervision, with the next competitive cycle leading into Los Angeles 2028. The football track remains closed, with no FIFA Council vote scheduled and the European federations that would supply the opposition still against lifting the ban.

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