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IOC suspends Russian Olympic Committee
The move, however, does not change things as far as the possible participation of Russian individual athletes is concerned
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) "with immediate effect until further notice" in a decision made at its executive board meeting in Mumbai on Thursday.
The suspension comes after the ROC included regional sports organisations from four Ukrainian areas (Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia) that were annexed by Russia in the aftermath of its invasion of Ukraine last year. The "unilateral decision" is a "breach of the Olympic Charter because it violates the territorial integrity of the NOC of Ukraine", according to the IOC.
"The Russian Olympic Committee is no longer entitled to operate as a National Olympic Committee, as defined in the Olympic Charter, and cannot receive any funding from the Olympic Movement," the IOC statement read.
The move, however, does not change things as far as the possible participation of Russian individual athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics and 2026 Winter Olympics is concerned. The IOC, through its recommendations in March this year, has left the door open for individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete as neutrals in Paris next year.
"The suspension does not affect in any way the participation of independent athletes," Mark Adams, IOC's director of communications, said in a press conference.
But that could still change, stated the IOC. "...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 statement said.
Qualifier Series for breaking, sport climbing
On the first day of its two-day executive board meeting ahead of the IOC Session in the city, the board announced an Olympic Qualifier Series for BMX freestyle, breaking, skateboarding and sport climbing for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Shanghai and Budapest were selected as hosts for the two-part series that will be held in May and June next year.
Around half of the qualification spots in these sports for the Paris Games will be up for grabs at this "new series of festival-style events combining sport with urban culture", as the IOC termed it.
Meanwhile, Adams also confirmed that Tricia Smith, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee, will attend the IOC Session in Mumbai. Last month, India had suspended its visa service operations in Canada amid increasing tensions between the two countries.
