International Olympic Committee suspends Russia until further notice

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended the Russian Olympic Committee, the organisation said in a statement on Thursday.

The IOC revealed that Russia’s decision to include regional sports organisations based in the occupied Ukrainian regions was the reason behind the suspension as it violated the Olympic Charter.

Russia’s Olympic Committee will remain suspended until further notice. The IOC will reserve the right to make further decisions on whether individual neutral athletes with Russian passports would be allowed to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games, as well as the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Previously, Russian athletes were allowed to participate in the Olympics as neutrals (without national flags) unless they supported the war in Ukraine, violated anti-doping regulations, or had contracts with the Russian military or security agencies.