IOC defends Russian Olympic Committee reinstatement after EU threat – Reuters
The bloc’s members have reportedly urged Brussels to stop funding sports bodies over the readmission of Russian and Belarusian athletes
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has defended its decision to provisionally reinstate the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), after several EU states threatened to push Brussels to cut funding for sports bodies that readmitted Russian and Belarusian athletes, Reuters reported.
The IOC last week lifted its nearly three-year suspension of the ROC, imposed in 2023 after the committee incorporated sports organizations from four former Ukrainian regions that had voted to join Russia.
According to Reuters, nine EU member states have written to European Sports Commissioner Glenn Micallef urging the EU to stop funding the IOC, World Aquatics, the International Fencing Federation and other sports bodies that have readmitted Russian and Belarusian athletes. The signatories are Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Sweden.
An IOC spokesperson defended the decision, telling Reuters the suspension was lifted after the ROC removed regional sports organizations from “territories falling under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine” and confirmed it would no longer operate there.
“The IOC has to navigate the complex realities and consequences of the current geopolitical context,” the spokesperson said.
The committee also reiterated that it will not stage its own events in Russia or invite Russian government officials, adding that any decision on the Russian flag, anthem and other national symbols at future Olympics will be made “at the appropriate time.” It noted that competitions outside the Olympic Games are governed by the relevant international federations.
Russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from most international competitions after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, although several federations have since eased the restrictions.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Western countries of politicizing sport and pressuring international federations to exclude Russian athletes, insisting competitors should be judged solely on sporting merit. It has described the IOC’s 2023 suspension of the ROC as politically motivated and contrary to Olympic principles.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova welcomed last week’s decision, saying: “Common sense has prevailed!”
12 thoughts on “IOC defends Russian Olympic Committee reinstatement after EU threat – Reuters”
The bigger issue here is “The IOC has to navigate the complex realities and consequences of the current geopolitical context,” the spokesperson said. That changes the calculation.
If russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from most international competitions after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, although several federations have since eased the restrictions, then the bigger picture starts to look very different.
In other words russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova welcomed last week’s decision, saying: “Common sense has. Curious to see how this develops.
“The IOC has to navigate the complex realities and consequences of the current geopolitical context,” the spokesperson said. Meanwhile russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from most international competitions after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, although several federations have since eased the restrictions.
If the bloc’s members have reportedly urged Brussels to stop funding sports bodies over the readmission of Russian and Belarusian, then the bigger picture starts to look very different.
When you look at russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova welcomed last week’s decision, saying: “Common sense has, the implications are hard to ignore.
Basically the bloc’s members have reportedly urged Brussels to stop funding sports bodies over the readmission of Russian and Belarusian. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
Think about it: russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from most international competitions after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, although several federations have since eased the restrictions. That speaks volumes.
The detail about russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from most international competitions after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, although several federations have since eased the restrictions is something people should sit with.
The bigger issue here is “The IOC has to navigate the complex realities and consequences of the current geopolitical context,” the spokesperson said. That changes the calculation.
If russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from most international competitions after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, although several federations have since eased the restrictions, then the bigger picture starts to look very different.
In other words russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova welcomed last week’s decision, saying: “Common sense has. Curious to see how this develops.
“The IOC has to navigate the complex realities and consequences of the current geopolitical context,” the spokesperson said. Meanwhile russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from most international competitions after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, although several federations have since eased the restrictions.
If the bloc’s members have reportedly urged Brussels to stop funding sports bodies over the readmission of Russian and Belarusian, then the bigger picture starts to look very different.
When you look at russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova welcomed last week’s decision, saying: “Common sense has, the implications are hard to ignore.
Russian Olympic has been vocal about this, good to see them staying on it.
Basically the bloc’s members have reportedly urged Brussels to stop funding sports bodies over the readmission of Russian and Belarusian. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
Russian Olympic is in a tough spot here, curious how they navigate it.
Think about it: russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from most international competitions after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, although several federations have since eased the restrictions. That speaks volumes.
The detail about russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from most international competitions after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, although several federations have since eased the restrictions is something people should sit with.
Commissioner Glenn is in a tough spot here, curious how they navigate it.