The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has called for the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from all international sport amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
After further talks on Monday, the IOC’s executive board released a detailed statement recommending that federations and event organisers throughout the sporting sphere “not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions” in order to “protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants”.
Such a decisive intervention looks set to pave the way for Russia to be banned indefinitely from all international football, a decision that could be confirmed by Fifa and Uefa later on Monday evening.
Fifa had initially said on Sunday that Russia’s national teams will be made to play ‘home’ matches behind closed doors at neutral venues overseas and will have to do so under the name Football Union of Russia (RFU), with the country’s flag and anthem banned.
However, that ruling was deemed “totally unacceptable” by Poland, who - along with other prospective World Cup play-off opponents Sweden and the Czech Republic - reaffirmed that they were unwilling to play against Russia, “no matter what the name of the team is”.
In events where their participation cannot be avoided “on short notice or for organisational or legal reasons”, the IOC urged that organisers ensure that athletes and officials are not permitted to compete under the name of Russia or Belarus, and instead should only take part as neutral athletes or teams with no symbols, colours, flags or anthems.
Russia’s athletes look set to compete in the Winter Paralympic Games as the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team, with some of their 71-strong contingent believed to have arrived in Beijing ahead of the start of the event on Friday.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) executive board will meet on Wednesday to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The IOC also confirmed that Russian president Vladimir Putin has been stripped of his Olympic Order award, along with deputy prime minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and Dmitry Kozak, deputy chief of staff of the presidential executive office.
That decision has been taken, the IOC said, “based on the exceptional circumstances of the situation and considering the extremely grave violation of the Olympic Truce and other violations of the Olympic Charter by the Russian government in the past”.
The IOC’s statement also reiterated their urgent call from last week not to organise any sport events in Russia and Belarus, while the organisation has also established a solitary fund in support of Ukrainian athletes and their families.
“The IOC EB, assisted by the IOC Task Force, continues to closely monitor the situation. It may adapt its recommendations and measures according to future developments,” the IOC’s statement concluded.
“The IOC reaffirms the call of the IOC President [Thomas Bach]: “Give peace a chance.”
