Belarus’ Olympic body is deemed compliant, while Russia faces ongoing doping violations and WADA scrutiny. Russian athletes remain barred as the IOC reviews their case.

Belarusian competitors had already featured as neutrals at Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026 without incident. Their return comes as qualification begins for LA28 and the 2028 Winter Youth Games.

Other federations have eased restrictions, but the IOC insists Russia’s doping issues must be resolved before reinstatement.

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Officials say early work will assess costs, benefits and feasibility, with London, Liverpool and Manchester floated as possible hosts. Northern leaders have urged a bid centred in their region.

The move is part of a wider push to secure major events, including the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup in the 2030s. Bolton is already bidding for the 2035 Ryder Cup, while England Golf wants government backing for the Solheim Cup.

New ticketing laws are also planned to curb touting, aimed at strengthening bids and ensuring fans pay face value.

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The Athletics Integrity Unit confirmed the ban, backdated to December, with results from August annulled.

The 31‑year‑old has not competed since May’s Diamond League in Rabat.

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From the 2028 Los Angeles Games, female categories will be restricted to biological women, excluding transgender athletes and those with differences in sexual development.

Coe praised IOC president Kirsty Coventry for “protecting the female category,” though critics, including France’s sports minister, called the policy a step backwards.

The decision follows controversy at Paris 2024, where boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu‑ting were reinstated by the IOC after being barred by the IBA, both going on to win gold.

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The tie will be played over two legs between 5 and 13 October 2026, with Uganda hosting the first leg before travelling away for the return fixture. The winner on aggregate will progress to the next round of the qualifiers, which will ultimately determine the two African representatives at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The draw, conducted by Confederation of African Football, involved 35 nations and was based on the latest FIFA rankings. Uganda entered the process in Pot 3 and received a bye from the preliminary round, which featured the six lowest-ranked teams.

Uganda’s pairing with Zambia comes from the format that matched teams in Pot 3 against those in Pot 4. The winner of this tie will advance to face either Ghana or the winner between Mauritius and Djibouti in the third round.

The most recent meeting between the two sides was in June 2022, when Uganda recorded a 5-0 victory in an international friendly played in Marrakech, Morocco. Viola Nambi scored twice in that match, with Ritah Kivumbi, Fauzia Najjemba and Fazila Ikwaput also on the scoresheet.

In the previous Olympic qualifying campaign for the 2024 Games, Uganda were eliminated in the first round by Cameroon after a 3-2 aggregate defeat. The Crested Cranes had won the first leg 2-0 in Njeru but lost 3-0 after extra time in Douala.

The qualification campaign will be played across five rounds of home-and-away fixtures, with only two teams from Africa securing places at the Olympic Women’s Football Tournament.

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The draw will be conducted on Wednesday, 29 April at CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, and will be streamed live on CAF TV from 3pm local time, which is 2pm in Uganda.

Uganda is among 35 national teams entered for the qualifying campaign as the Crested Cranes begin their bid to secure a place at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The qualifiers will be played over five rounds, with only two African nations eventually booking tickets to the women’s football tournament at the Olympics, scheduled to run from 11 to 29 July 2028.

Uganda will be hoping for a favourable draw as they seek to navigate a difficult field that includes continental heavyweights such as Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Morocco, Ghana and Cameroon.

East African neighbours Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan and Sudan are also in the draw, raising the possibility of regional rivalries in the early rounds.

The qualification campaign is expected to be highly competitive, with nations from across the continent battling through a lengthy elimination process for the two available slots.

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Speaking at a press conference in Cape Town, Semenya criticized IOC president Kirsty Coventry, saying the policy harms women, especially those from Africa and the Global South.

The two-time 800m gold medalist, long at the center of debates over hyperandrogenism, warned the move revives discriminatory practices that undermine inclusivity in sport.

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Athletes entering female categories must undergo a one‑time SRY gene screening, conducted via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the move follows disputes in women’s boxing at Paris 2024, where Imane Khelif of Algeria and Taiwan’s Lin Yu‑ting faced eligibility challenges but went on to win gold.

The IOC insists the new policy will ensure clarity and fairness, while sparking fresh debate over inclusion in global sport.

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This announcement was made during the UOC Annual General Assembly held on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at Mestil Hotel in Kampala. UOC Vice President for Administration, Godwin Kayangwe, revealed that the committee plans to stage the games at the end of the year.

The event is expected to run for about ten days and will feature only Olympic sports.

Hoima City Stadium has been earmarked as the venue, as Namboole Stadium is likely to be closed for renovation. The stadium’s indoor arena provides an added advantage by accommodating indoor competitions.

“We are looking at when the games will be held, how often, and for how long,” Kayangwe noted. He added that it may be difficult to include all 34 disciplines in the inaugural edition due to limited resources.

The UOC intends to make the games meaningful by positioning them as qualifiers for both the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

The committee has appealed to the government for funding to ensure the event has commercial value and broader appeal.

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Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling have cleared the way for 10 athletes—six from Russia and four from Belarus—to compete via “wildcard” invitations.

Unlike the recent Winter Olympics, where athletes competed as neutrals, these competitors will use full national symbols.

IPC members voted against a total ban, arguing that sport should remain a “neutral ground” separate from the actions of governments.

Ukraine, along with officials from the UK, Italy, Poland, and the Baltic states, has condemned the move. Ukrainian athletes and several European officials will boycott Friday’s opening ceremony in Verona.

This move signals a potential end to Russia’s global sporting exile. Leaders in FIFA and the IOC have recently hinted at similar reinstatements, suggesting that long-term bans have “not achieved anything” and that focus should return to athlete inclusion.

However, opposition remains fierce. Global Athlete and the Ukrainian sports ministry point to the 650+ Ukrainian athletes killed in the conflict as reason enough to maintain the exile until the war ends.

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