2023-10-12 15:13:18
The International Olympic Committee has suspended the National Olympic Committee of Russia (ROC) over its inclusion of four annexed Ukrainian territories. The IOC executive made this decision on Thursday in Mumbai, India. However, no decision has yet been made regarding the possible participation of Russian athletes at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The IOC said this should happen “at the appropriate time”.
“There is no decision as to when we will make a decision,” said IOC spokesman Mark Adams following the deliberations at the top of the governing body. The decision as to whether Russians will be allowed to compete at least as neutral athletes at the next Summer Games will be made “at the right moment closer to the Games,” Adams added.
A week ago, the ROC accepted the regional sports organizations of the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Luhansk as members. This constituted a breach of the IOC Charter and violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the IOC Executive Committee decided.
The ROC described the decision as “counterproductive” and was obviously politically motivated. “This ensures de jure what already happened de facto in February 2022,” the committee added. It referred to the suspension of Russian athletes in most international sports federations following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The ROC is therefore no longer allowed to work as a National Olympic Committee within the meaning of the Olympic Charter. It also no longer receives financial support from the IOC. The IOC expressly reserved the right to take further measures on Thursday. The news from Mumbai was welcomed in Ukraine. “This is an important decision,” wrote the head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, on Telegram.
According to IOC spokesman Adams, the conditions under which Russian athletes are allowed to take part in international competitions remain “non-negotiable”. In March, the IOC recommended that world associations allow athletes from the country to compete once more as neutral individual athletes without a flag, anthem and Russian team uniform. The condition is that the athletes have no connection to the military and do not support the war of aggression in Ukraine.
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