NEW DELHI: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had its Executive Board meeting in Mumbai on Thursday ahead of its 141st IOC Session from Sunday to Tuesday. During its meeting, the IOC Executive Board decided to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee with immediate effect.
This will have ramifications on its Paris Olympic Games participation next year. According to the IOC, the suspension was because of the Russian Olympic Committee’s decision to include as its members that are part of the National Olympic Committees of Ukraine.
“The unilateral decision taken by the Russian Olympic Committee on 5 October 2023 to include, as its members, the regional sports organisations 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 recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in accordance with the Olympic Charter,” said the IOC in a statement.
“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,” it said. Because of the suspension, the ROC will cease to exist as an independent NOC and will not receive any funds from the IOC.
“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.” During his inaugural address, IOC president Thomas Bach praised the Reliance Foundation’s initiatives in sports.
Olympic Qualifier Series
The IOC decided to host the Olympic Qualifier series in Shanghai and Budapest. It said that the cities have been selected as hosts for the Olympic Qualifier Series, “a new series of festival-style events combining sport with urban culture. This decision was confirmed today, 12 October, by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).”