CAS upholds IOC suspension of Russian Olympic Committee | More sports News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on Friday that it has rejected an appeal from Russia challenging the suspension imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The suspension, initiated in October, was a response to the Russian Olympic Committee‘s (ROC) recognition of regional Olympic councils in territories annexed from Ukraine.
The IOC took decisive action against the ROC, citing a violation of the Olympic Charter due to the recognition of regional bodies in the Russian-occupied areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. At the time, the IOC argued that this move undermined the territorial integrity of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee (NOC).Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, referred to by Moscow as a ‘special operation,’ has consistently dismissed the IOC’s measures as politically motivated.
In its appeal to the Lausanne-based CAS, the ROC sought the revocation of the suspension, urging recognition as a fully-fledged National Olympic Committee with all associated privileges.
“The CAS Panel in charge of this matter dismissed the appeal and confirmed the challenged decision, finding that the IOC Executive Board did not breach the principles of legality, equality, predictability, or proportionality,” stated CAS in an official statement.
This ruling underscores the IOC’s stance on maintaining the principles enshrined in the Olympic Charter and upholding the territorial integrity of NOCs.
Notably, Russian and Belarusian athletes had initially faced international competition bans following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, utilizing Belarus as a staging ground. However, the IOC later issued recommendations allowing individual participation for Russian and Belarusian athletes without national flags, emblems, or anthems, emphasizing that athletes should not bear the consequences of government actions.
(Inputs from Reuters)