The International eSports Federation suspended the membership of Russia at the request of Ukraine

The International eSports Federation (IESF) considered the appeal of the Ukrainian Esports Federation (UESF) and decided to suspend the membership of the Computer Sports Federation of the Russian Federation (RESF) as part of the IESF. Russians were allowed to compete in tournaments under a neutral flag.

The Membership Committee conducted an in-depth analysis that confirmed that the Russian Federation had opened offices within Ukrainian territorial borders, namely Luhansk and Sevastopol.

This is a violation of subparagraph (I) of Article E31 of the Charter, which obliges to “Respect the sovereignty of other members. A member shall not interfere in the internal affairs of another national federation, unless such member so requests."

After meeting with representatives of both federations and discussing, the committee recommended to the IESF Board to suspend RESF membership. The decision will be valid until the General Assembly, where all full members will decide whether to suspend RESF completely or to resume it once RESF has removed the reason for the suspension.

"IESF strongly condemns all war, hatred, political interference and discrimination. Sports provide us with a unique platform to build peace and prevent future conflicts. We expect all members of the global eSports family to use this platform for positive change and embody the IESF values of respect, unity and friendship,” the statement said.

• It is not the first time that the IESF has suspended the membership of the Russian eSports Federation. It first happened in April 2022, after Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine. However, at the end of August 2023, the International eSports Federation voted for the return of Russian teams to the competition.