Olympic committee recommends Russian and Belarusian athletes be banned from international competitions


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
The International Olympic Committee is recommending Russian and Belarusian athletes not be invited to any international competitions amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Olympic Committee's Executive Board made the recommendation on Monday, less than a week after Russia invaded Ukraine. The IOC said it doesn't want to "punish athletes for the decisions of their government if they are not actively participating in them" but is facing a dilemma that "cannot be solved" amid the war because "while athletes from Russia and Belarus would be able to continue to participate in sports events, many athletes from Ukraine are prevented from doing so because of the attack on their country."
With this in mind, the IOC said it's recommending with "a heavy heart" that all sporting event organizers "not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions" in order to "protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants." Additionally, in instances where this is not possible, the committee urged organizations to at least ensure the athletes aren't able to "take part under the name of Russia or Belarus." Belarus is reportedly preparing to deploy troops to help Russia in the invasion of Ukraine.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The IOC EB reaffirms its full solidarity with the Ukrainian Olympic Community," the IOC said. "They are in our hearts and thoughts."
Previously, the European Broadcasting Union announced Russia would be banned from the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest due to the Ukraine invasion. The IOC also previously recommended that all sporting events planned for Russia or Belarus be relocated or canceled, citing the countries' "breach of the Olympic Truce."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Brendan is a staff writer at The Week. A graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in journalism, he also writes about horror films for Bloody Disgusting and has previously contributed to The Cheat Sheet, Heavy, WhatCulture, and more. He lives in New York City surrounded by Star Wars posters.
-
Squirrel kebabs on London menu
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 28 September 2023
The Week’s daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
By The Week Staff Published
-
Crossword: September 28, 2023
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs say
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
A brief timeline of Russia's war in Ukraine
In Depth How the Kremlin's plan for a quick conquest turned into a quagmire
By Peter Weber Published
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
How the collapse of the ruble could impact the war in Ukraine
Talking Point Will it hurt Putin's war or is it merely symbolic?
By Justin Klawans Published
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign port
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
The US will soon finish destroying its last chemical weapons
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
Putin and Prigozhin offer rival explanations for Wagner's brief rebellion
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published