THE International Olympic Committee’s executive board has recommended sports federations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from competing in events following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The IOC said the executive board made the decision “in order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants” and that the body was acting with a “heavy heart”.
The Russian Olympic Committee categorically disagreed with the IOC, saying the decision “contradicts both the regulatory documents of the IOC and the (Olympic) Charter”.
“As a first step, we consider it necessary to send requests to international federations for an official response on the status of Russian athletes and their rights to participate in international competitions due to the fact that it is the… federations that have the authority to admit athletes to international competitions in the respective sport,” the ROC said in a statement.
“For its part, the Russian Olympic Committee intends to consistently uphold the rights and interests of Russian athletes and provide all necessary assistance to our national federations to challenge discriminatory decisions of the relevant international federations.”
The statement from the IOC comes shortly before the Winter Paralympics starts in Beijing on Friday. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will meet on Wednesday to discuss Russia ahead of the Games. read more
Following the IOC’s statement, soccer governing bodies FIFA and UEFA also suspended Russia’s national and club teams from all competitions until further notice.
Sports bodies across the world have already moved against Russia by refusing to host or play against teams from the country. read more
Athletes from Ukraine and other nations have urged the IOC and IPC to suspend Russia and Belarus and ban their athletes from events immediately. read more
Global Athlete, an international athlete-led movement that aims to inspire change in world sport, said it was “angry and appalled” by the IOC’s statement.
“The IOC has once again only made smoke and mirror recommendations and refuses to take action against Russia and Belarus,” Global Athlete Director-General Rob Koehler told Reuters in a statement.
