By Tommy Lund and Karolos Grohmann
July 15 (Reuters) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended its decision to provisionally lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) after nine European Union member states called on Brussels to stop funding sports bodies that have re-admitted Russian and Belarusian athletes.
In a letter to European sports commissioner Glenn Micallef, the countries urged the European Union to stop funding sporting bodies, including the IOC, World Aquatics and the International Fencing Federation, that had allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes back into competition.
The nine countries are Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden.
An IOC spokesperson told Reuters that the ROC’s suspension, which had been in place since October 2023, was lifted earlier this month after the organisation removed regional sports bodies from occupied Ukrainian territories from its membership, the reason it was originally sanctioned.
The IOC said the decision was provisional and did not signal a broader change in its position towards Russia.
“The IOC has to navigate the complex realities and consequences of the current geopolitical context,” the IOC spokesperson said on Wednesday.
“The IOC must uphold its mission to preserve a values-based and truly global sporting platform that provides hope to the world.”
The spokesperson added that the IOC would continue not to hold events in Russia or invite Russian government officials to its events. No decision has been taken on the use of Russian flags, colours or the national anthem at future Olympics.
The IOC also noted that competitions outside the Olympics fall under the authority of the relevant international federations.
The Olympic body said it had also strengthened the Olympic Charter, requiring National Olympic Committees to ensure athletes selected for the Games are chosen not only on sporting merit but also on their ability to act as role models who promote a peaceful society through sport.
The nine EU countries said allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to international competition overlooked the difficulties faced by Ukrainian athletes, many of whom have been displaced, lost access to training facilities or joined the military.
“Respect for human rights, the rule of law, and peaceful relations between nations are among the core principles underpinning international sport,” the countries wrote.
They added that arguments that sport can be separated from politics were difficult to sustain given the human toll of the war in Ukraine.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk and Karolos Grohmann, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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