The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken disciplinary action against the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) for trying to claim certain Ukrainian athletes. The ROC has been suspended, effectively immediately, with the 2024 Paris Olympics approaching.
In a statement, the IOC condemned the "unilateral" decision by the ROC to include some athletes under the banner of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. Most notably, the ROC attempted to claim sports organizations from Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia.
IOC Executive Board suspends Russian Olympic Committee with immediate effect.
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) October 12, 2023
IOC statement: pic.twitter.com/vS7YoT1MLx
As a result of the suspension, the ROC can no longer operate as a National Olympic Committee and therefore will not receive any funding from the Olympic Movement. The IOC also made sure to point out that it has the power to decide whether Russian athletes can participate in the 2024 Olympics.
"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 said in its statement.
The IOC has been clear that it wants to create a path for Russian athletes to participate in the 2024 Olympics under a neutral banner, but this latest move from the ROC could complicate matters.
