IOC urges all international federations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from sporting events

In an effort to condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is urging all international sports federations to move their scheduled events out of Russia and Ukraine, bar their athletes from competing and ban Russian or Belarussian national flags from being displayed at any sporting events.

IOC Executive Board recommends no participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officialshttps://t.co/XZyLIi11XR

— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) February 28, 2022

Russia’s flag and anthem have already been banned from all major international events including the Olympics, Paralympics and the World Championships because of doping violations, but the IOC is now calling for this ban to be extended to all other sporting events, according to a report by Inside the Games. 

Belarus was allowed to compete under its flag at the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympics, but according to some sources, athletes who have spoken out against the country’s government have been tortured, detained without cause and not selected to international teams. Track and field fans may also remember when Belarussian tea, officials attempted to kidnap sprinter Krystina Tsimanouskaya and take her back to Belarus after publically criticizing her coaches.

The #IPC Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, two days before the start of the #Beijing2022 Paralympic Games https://t.co/5yFHVGIjB9 #Paralympics #WinterGames #Russia #Belarus

— insidethegames (@insidethegames) February 28, 2022

According to Olympics.com, as of Monday, February 28, the IOC is recommending that all international sports federations and event organizers not invite or allow Russian or Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions. If this is not possible because of short notice (as is the case with the upcoming Paralympics), Russian or Belarusian athletes will not be permitted to compete under their flag or the name Russia or Belarus.

Several sporting events have already been moved from Russia, including the UEFA Champions League final, all remaining International Ski Federation World Cup legs, a Formula One Grand Prix and FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The IOC’s new stance may force other international federations, like the International Volleyball Federation and International Swimming Federation, into making a decision on their upcoming events. Currently, the World Swimming Championships and Men’s World Volleyball Championships are scheduled to be held in Russia later this year.

According to Inside the Games, the IOC held a meeting last week to set up a task force to send humanitarian assistance to members of the Olympic community in Ukraine.