Ukraine ask IOC to examine ‘neutral’ status of Russian athletes at Paris Olympics, Winter Games
Sports minister and National Olympic Committee have compiled evidence of ‘systematic violations’ in climbing and its governing federation
Sports authorities in Ukraine asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday to examine the “neutral” status of Russian athletes they accused of having links to the military or competing in events that violated Olympic sanctions.
The IOC allowed a limited number of athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games with no flags or anthems, subject to vetting.
This included stipulations that athletes not be linked to the military or have supported Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
An appeal signed by Ukrainian Sports Minister Matvii Bidny and National Olympic Committee head Vadym Guttsait said they had compiled evidence that some athletes had flouted recommendations established by the IOC in 2023 – more than a year after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The appeal cited in particular “systematic violations” in the sport of climbing and its governing federation, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC).
“The Ukrainian side has provided evidence of direct links between a number of athletes and the military structures of the aggressor state,” the statement said.