Arrr! IOC be givin' the Russian Olympic Committee a taste o' suspension after snatchin' Ukrainian sports councils!
2023-10-12
Arrr, the International Olympic Committee hath given the Russian Olympic Committee a mighty suspension! They be breakin' the sacred Olympic Charter, ye scurvy dogs! No Olympics for ye, me hearties!
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) has been suspended indefinitely by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for incorporating four councils from eastern Ukraine, a violation of the Olympic Charter.The decision to suspend the ROC was made by the IOC Executive Board after a meeting in which the ROC's acceptance of the councils in Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia was discussed.
This move by the ROC is considered a breach of the Olympic Charter as it violates the territorial integrity of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine, as recognized by the IOC.
As a result, the ROC will no longer operate as an NOC and will lose funding from the Olympic Movement.
However, independent athletes will still be allowed to participate in the Olympic Games, but the IOC reserves the right to decide on the participation of individual neutral athletes with a Russian passport in future Olympic Games.
Following the war in Ukraine, the IOC urged international sports bodies to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from competition, and some did while others allowed them to compete under a neutral banner.
The ROC's suspension could complicate matters further, as Russia and Belarus were not sent official invitations for the Paris Games in July.
The ROC has the option to challenge the suspension in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
The decision comes as a blow to Russian athletes and the country's sporting reputation.