Russians Will Be Allowed to Compete in the European Games in Istanbul — Degtyarev
Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev stated that the Russian national team has been admitted to the 2027 European Games in Istanbul. According to him, Russian athletes are already preparing for the competition. However, there has been no official confirmation from the European Olympic Committees regarding Russia’s admission at this time.
Russian Minister of Sports and President of the Russian Olympic Committee Mikhail Degtyarev stated that the Russian national team will compete at the 2027 European Games in Istanbul. “Next year, we are preparing for the European Games. Our team has been admitted and will compete under the flag,” Degtyarev said.
According to the Russian minister, permission to participate has already been granted. He also claims that the Russian team has begun preparations for the competition. At the same time, it is important to note that, so far, it is the Russian side that has publicly announced this admission. The official websites of the European Olympic Committees contain information about preparations for the Games in Istanbul, the competition program, and the work of the organizing committee, but there is no separate announcement regarding the Russian team’s admission there yet.
The fourth European Games in history are scheduled to take place in Istanbul from June 16 to 27, 2027. The EOC has already approved a program featuring 26 sports and disciplines. Twenty-two of these are part of the Olympic program for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. The competitions are also intended to give athletes the opportunity to earn Olympic qualifying spots or ranking points. Preparations for the tournament have been underway for several years. In 2025, the EOC and Turkey signed an agreement to host the Games in Istanbul. In March 2026, the EOC reported on the organizing committee’s ongoing work and the preparation of the sports program.
The most recent European Games took place in 2023 in Kraków, Poland, and other cities in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. At that time, athletes from Russia and Belarus did not participate in the competitions. As early as late 2022, the European Olympic Committees stated that the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the 2023 European Games was not possible. Later, the tournament organizers and the Polish Olympic Committee confirmed that representatives from Russia and Belarus would not be allowed to compete.
Thus, if the organizers confirm Degtyarev’s statement, the European Games in Istanbul could become the first tournament of this format since 2023 in which Russian athletes will compete again. However, it is not yet known whether this refers to a full Russian national team or individual athletes, nor under what specific conditions they might be granted admission. A separate issue concerns national symbols. Degtyarev stated that the Russians will compete under the national flag. At the same time, the final rules for participation, the status of the athletes, and the use of national symbols are to be determined by the sports authorities and the Games’ organizers.
Thus, it has now been officially confirmed that the European Games will take place in Istanbul in June 2027. However, information regarding the Russian team’s eligibility should be viewed as a statement by the Russian minister until it is separately confirmed by the European Olympic Committees or the tournament organizers. He made these remarks during the forum “Gambling: Contributions to Sports,” which is taking place in Moscow.
