There have been calls in the European Union to stop funding the International Olympic Committee due to their recommendation to reinstate the Russian Olympic Committee and lift all restrictions on Russian athletes that were in place after the start of full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
Politico writes about this.
Following the IOCʼs decision, Estonian Culture Minister Heidi Purga said she would propose that the European Commission stop funding the Committee, including the “Erasmus+” program. European Commissioner for Sport Glenn Micallef believes that sport cannot become a "bypass to normalize aggression". According to him, the EU should consider proportionate steps.
The IOC’s decision also sparked distrust among lawmakers in the United States. As Republican Senator Rick Scott said, the International Olympic Committee told Russia and the world that “you can bomb civilians one day and still proudly wave your flag at the Games the next”.
- Russian athletes were banned from international competition in February 2022, following the start of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the time, the International Olympic Committee recommended that sports federations remove Russians from tournaments.
- On March 28, 2023, the International Olympic Committee allowed Russians to compete in “neutral” status — without a flag, anthem, or national symbols. The exceptions were active service members of the Russian army and athletes who supported the war.
- At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Russians and Belarusians were allowed to compete only in individual sports. At this year’s Winter Olympics, 13 “neutral” Russians competed.
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