Ankara: Ukraine said Wednesday that it initiated an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to provisionally lift the Russian Olympic Committee's (ROC) suspension from competitions.
According to Anadolu Agency, the National Olympic Committee (NOC) stated that it filed the appeal on Tuesday, arguing that the IOC's decision earlier this month "contradicts the provisions of the Olympic Charter." The NOC of Ukraine emphasized its stance that the IOC's decision was made prematurely without proper verification of whether the reasons for the ROC's suspension, as cited in Ukraine's appeal on October 6, 2023, had been adequately addressed.
The IOC had initially decided on July 7 to provisionally lift the ROC's ban, announcing that the decision was made by the IOC Executive Board after determining that "the ROC no longer includes as its members any regional sports organizations in territories falling under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine."
However, the NOC of Ukraine contended that the mere formal exclusion of regional sports organizations does not signify the cessation of Russia's activities in territories under Moscow's control and does not equate to the resolution of the original violations.
The NOC further asserted that restoring the rights of the ROC without eliminating these violations is incompatible with international sports law principles and could set a dangerous precedent for the Olympic Movement.
The IOC had previously recommended in late February 2022 that Belarusian and Russian athletes be barred from international competitions following the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war. In March 2023, the IOC suggested that athletes from both countries could participate as Individual Neutral Athletes, provided they do not actively support the war.
On May 7, the IOC Executive Board announced that it no longer recommended restrictions on Belarusian athletes or teams in events governed by international federations and organizers, lifting previous participation conditions.