The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board has suspended the Russian Olympic Committee indefinitely, citing a breach of the Olympic Charter based on Russia’s actions with Ukraine.
According to an Olympics.com report, the unilateral decision taken by the Russian Olympic Committee on 5 October 2023 to include, as its members, the regional sports organizations 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 recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in accordance with the Olympic Charter.
In view of the above, the IOC Executive Board (EB) today decided that:
- The Russian Olympic Committee is suspended with immediate effect until further notice.
- The suspension has the following consequences:
- The Russian Olympic Committee is no longer entitled to operate as a National Olympic Committee, as defined in the Olympic Charter, and cannot receive any funding from the Olympic Movement.
- As stated in the IOC’s position and recommendations of 28 March 2023, which remain fully in place, the IOC reserves the right to decide about the participation of individual neutral athletes with a Russian passport in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 at the appropriate time.
The IOC Executive Board said it reserves the right to take any further decision or measure depending on the development of this situation.