The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended the Russian Olympic Committee "with immediate effect" for seizing control of Ukrainian sporting organizations, the organization said on Oct. 12.
On Oct. 5, the Russian Olympic Committee took the unilateral decision to recognize the regional sporting organizations of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia as under its own authority, despite the fact these organizations legally fall under the authority of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee.
This decision "violates the territorial integrity" of Ukraine and therefore "constitutes a breach of the Olympic Charter," the IOC said.
The suspension means that the Russian Olympic Committee is "no longer entitled to operate as a National Olympic Committee" and cannot receive funding from the Olympic Movement.
The IOC already announced on July 26 that no official invite has been extended to Russia and Belarus for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
However, the IOC has not yet made a decision on whether individual Russian or Belarusian athletes can compete at the Olympics under a neutral flag.
In March 2023, the IOC recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes be allowed to participate in international competitions, provided they do so as "individual neutral athletes."
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said on Sept. 29 that Russians will be able to compete as individual or neutral athletes at the 2024 Paralympics.
Nate Ostiller
