IOC calls for ban on Russian athletes amid Ukraine invasion

Editorial Team3 March 2022Last Update :
IOC calls for ban on Russian athletes amid Ukraine invasion

The International Olympic Committee has urged sport federations and organisers to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international events following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The IOC also withdrew the Olympic Order, its highest award, from all high-ranking Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin.

In a statement on Monday, the IOC said its executive board “recommends that International Sports Federations and sports event organisers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions”.

If not possible for “organisational or legal reasons”, the IOC called on sports officials to do “everything in their power” to prevent athletes from the two countries from taking part under the name of Russia or Belarus.

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, which starts in Beijing on Friday. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will meet on Wednesday to discuss Russia before the Games.

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