The International Olympic Committee’s executive board has suspended the Russian Olympic Committee “with immediate effect until further notice”.
The move comes after the ROC recognised regional organisations from four Ukrainian territories illegally annexed by Russia since its full-scale invasion began in 2022.
The IOC said last Thursday’s recognition was “a breach of the Olympic Charter because it violates the territorial integrity of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine”.
The IOC added that it will decide whether Russian athletes can compete as neutrals at Paris 2024 “at the appropriate time”.
Olympic Councils from the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia had been recognised by the ROC.
The IOC has been under 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.
More to follow.
