Breaking News: IOC Suspends Russian Olympic Committee

In a decisive move, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Boarding has announced the immediate suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee. This suspension comes in response to the unilateral decision taken by the Russian Olympic Committee on October 5, 2023, to include regional sports organizations under the authority of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine, specifically Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia.

The IOC considers this action a violation of the Olympic Charter as it undermines the territorial integrity of the NOC of Ukraine, as recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

As a result of this suspension:

 The Russian Olympic Committee will lose its status as a National Olympic Committee, as defined in the Olympic Charter, and will not receive any funding from the Olympic Movement.

The IOC maintains its position and recommendations from March 28, 2023, which reserve the right to decide on the participation of individual neutral athletes with Russian passports in the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 and the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina 2026 at the appropriate time.

The IOC Executive Board retains the right to take further actions or measures depending on the development of this situation.

This suspension marks a significant development in the ongoing dispute between the IOC and the Russian Olympic Committee, and its impact on Russian athletes' participation in future Olympic events remains uncertain.