By Can Erozden
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) "with immediate effect until further notice."
"The unilateral decision taken by the Russian Olympic Committee on 5 October 2023 to include, as its members, the regional sports organisations which are under the authority of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine (namely Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia) constitutes a breach of the Olympic Charter because it violates the territorial integrity of the NOC of Ukraine, as recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in accordance with the Olympic Charter," it said in a statement.
Last week Russia recognized Olympic councils from the four annexed territories.
"The Russian Olympic Committee is no longer entitled to operate as a National Olympic Committee, as defined in the Olympic Charter, and cannot receive any funding from the Olympic Movement," the IOC said, adding it will decide whether Russian athletes can participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games under a neutral flag "at the appropriate time."
Russia launched a war against Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, triggering international outrage, with the EU, US and UK, among others, imposing tough sanctions on Moscow.
Belarus, which neighbors Russia to the east and Ukraine to the south, has supported Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
Since the start of the war, Russian and Belarussian athletes have been banned or restricted from various competitions worldwide.
In March, the IOC, headed by Germany's Thomas Bach, previously recommended to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to return to competitions as neutral athletes.