Earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee announced a temporary lifting of the sanctions against the Russian Olympic Committee. This decision cleared the way for Russian athletes to return to international sports events. However, the World Athletics Federation continued to refuse to lift sanctions against Russian and Belarusian athletes, which caused strong dissatisfaction among the Russian side.
According to Russian media RT, reported on July 23, Boris Yarishovsky, the head of the Russian Athletics Federation, criticized at a press conference that the stance of the World Athletics Federation 'completely violates' the principle that sports should be separated from politics. Russia has filed a complaint.
Yarishevsky said that the World Athletics federation insists that Russian athletes can only be allowed to compete again after a peace agreement is reached between Russia and Ukraine. He believes this stance conflicts with the latest decisions of the International Olympic Committee, stating, “In our view, this is completely contradictory.”
The Russian Athletics Federation previously announced that it has filed an appeal against the 'discriminatory' extension of the suspension by the World Athletics Association with the International Sports Arbitration Tribunal.
The International Olympic Committee announced on July 7 that the Executive Board had temporarily lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee's eligibility, which had been in place since October 12, 2023.
This decision was made after a comprehensive analysis by the Legal Affairs Committee of the International Olympic Committee. It takes into account that the Russian Olympic Committee no longer includes any sports organizations located within the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian National Olympic Committee in its membership. Additionally, the Russian Olympic Committee confirmed that it has never carried out any activities in those regions, and will not do so in the future.
According to Russia Today, although some international sports organizations still impose restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes, many of these organizations have begun to change their stance. Organizations such as the World Swimming Federation, the World Gymnastics Federation, and the International Fencing Federation have allowed Russian athletes to use the Russian national emblems and play the national anthem during competitions.
