Ukraine Appeals IOC Decision to Reinstate Russian Olympic Committee

Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) challenging the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) provisional reinstatement of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). The Ukrainian NOC argues the IOC acted prematurely, without confirming that the violations leading to the ROC’s suspension in October 2023—namely the recognition of sports bodies in the Russian‑occupied regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia—have been remedied. The appeal cites the IOC’s July 7 decision to lift the ROC’s suspension ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Games as incompatible with the Olympic Charter and the territorial integrity of Ukraine’s NOC.

Ukrainian sports minister Matvei Bedny announced on LinkedIn that Kyiv will pursue legal action, echoing protests from nine EU sports ministers who objected to the IOC’s move. Russia’s sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev welcomed the IOC decision, expecting Russian athletes to return fully to international competition.

The case underscores ongoing tensions over the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in global sport following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.