Photo: kremlin.ru (CC BY 4.0)
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) due to the inclusion of the DNR, LNR, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya regions in the Olympic councils, RIA Novosti reports. The IOC stated that the ROC can no longer act as a National Olympic Committee (NOC) and will not receive funds from the IOC.
The Olympic Councils of the new regions were incorporated into the ROC on October 5.
However, the IOC retains the right to decide on admitting Russians in neutral status to the Olympics in Paris and Milan, and the ROC suspension will not impact this decision.
The ROC called the IOC decision counterproductive. It has political grounds, the committee noted, and at the same time has no effect on Russian athletes - the vast majority of them are still groundlessly suspended from international competitions.
As Russky Mir reported
earlier, the IOC has recommended sports federations to permit Russian athletes to participate in international events only in a neutral status, with the exception of team sports. The IOC clarified that individuals supporting special operation or having affiliations with their country's armed forces or security agencies will not be allowed to compete.
Russia called the decision illegal and discriminatory. According to MFA spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, it is a manifestation of nationalism and xenophobia. "This is not about medals the story - it is about experiments on our humanity, experiments on humans," Maria Zakharova emphasized.
Russkiy Mir
