International Olympic Committee suspends Russian Olympic Committee due to occupied regions of Ukraine

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the Russian Olympic Committee due to their inclusion of the so-called "sports organisations" located in the occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Source: IOC press release

Quote: "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 because it violates the territorial integrity of the NOC of Ukraine, as recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in accordance with the Olympic Charter."

Details: It is reported that the decision to remove the Russian Olympic Committee comes into force immediately.

The suspension has the following consequences: The Russian Olympic Committee is no longer entitled to act as a national Olympic committee, as defined in the Olympic Charter, and cannot receive any funding from the Olympic Movement.

At the same time, the IOC reserves the right to decide on the participation of individual neutral athletes with a Russian passport in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 and the Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina in 2026 at the appropriate time.

"The IOC EB also reserves the right to take any further decision or measure depending on the development of this situation," the statement said.

Background: On 10 October, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) abandoned its decision to allow Russian under-17 football teams to participate in international tournaments.

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