Russian Olympic Committee suspended by IOC over Ukraine move

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)announced that the Russian Olympic Committee was immediately suspended on Thursday for recognizing regional organizations from four territories annexed from Ukraine.

The IOC further stated that upon recognizing Olympic Councils from the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, the ROC would no longer be eligible for any funding.

“The unilateral decision taken by the Russian Olympic Committee on 5 October 2023 to include, as its members, the regional sports organisations which are under the authority of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine (namely Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia) constitutes a breach of the Olympic Charter,” the International Olympic Committee stated in a statement.

“… it violates the territorial integrity of the NOC of Ukraine, as recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in accordance with the Olympic Charter.”

In Mumbai, the IOC executive council is convening in advance of the IOC session from October 15-17.

The IOC’s subsequent determination regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is unaffected by Thursday’s ruling.

“The participation of independent athletes is unaffected by the suspension of the ROC,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams stated at a press conference.

A request for comment was not met with an instantaneous response from the Russian Olympic Committee.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not impose sanctions on the Olympic Committees of Russia or Belarus or on Russian members of the IOC. However, athletes were banned in retaliation for Moscow’s “special military operation” invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

It issued its initial set of recommendations for international sports federations to permit the return of Belarusian and Russian athletes in March.