The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) effective immediately 'until further notice."
In an announcement on Thursday (October 12), the global sporting body has banned the ROC after it recognized regional organizations from four partially-occupied Ukrainian territories illegally annexed by Russia - Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia - since its full-scale invasion in 2022, the BBC reported.
The IOC called the act "a breach of the Olympic Charter" as it violated the "territorial integrity of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine."
What Does This Mean for Russian Athletes?
The IOC's suspension meant the ROC was "no longer entitled to operate as a National Olympic Committee" and could no longer "receive any funding from the Olympic movement" as long as they were suspended.
The IOC would also have the prerogative of deciding whether or not individual Russian athletes could compete as neutrals at the Paris Olympics in 2024 "at the appropriate time."
"This is an important decision," Ukrainian presidential office chief Andriy Yermak said, adding that sports could not be out of politics, as well as accusing Russia of using its athletes as propaganda.
Currently, IOC sanctions meant no international sporting events could be organized in the territory of either Russia or its ally Belarus, while the flags, national anthems, or any other national symbol of both countries must not be used.
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Russians Call IOC Decision 'Counterproductive'
In response, the ROC called the IOC's decision "another counterproductive decision with obvious political motivations."
The IOC has not initially sanctioned the ROC following the invasion of Ukraine, but the Russian team has been banned from competing as a nation in athletics since November 2015 after discovering a state-sponsored doping scheme. While the doping suspension was lifted in March, the World Athletics Council ruled that the nation would remain banned "for the foreseeable future" because of the war in Ukraine.
The IOC has been under constant pressure to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing even under a neutral flag since the invasion began. But in March, it told sporting federations they should allow athletes from those countries to compete as neutrals.
Ukraine has also threatened to boycott the Paris Games if a full ban on Russian and Belarussian athletes is not upheld.
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