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Ukraine's NOC President calls for IOC sanctions on ROC

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Oct 2023 20:10

Vadym Gutzeit has formally written to IOC President Thomas Bach, petitioning him to raise the matter of imposing sanctions on the ROC during the forthcoming IOC executive committee meeting in Mumbai.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) logo is seen on the door at a meeting of the IOC Executive Board at a hotel in London, prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 21, 2012 (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Vadym Gutzeit, the President of Ukraine's National Olympic Committee (NOC), has urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to take punitive measures against the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).

This request comes in response to the ROC's inclusion of the Olympic councils from the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), and Russia-administered areas of Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.

Gutzeit has formally written to IOC President Thomas Bach, petitioning him to raise the matter of imposing sanctions on the ROC during the forthcoming IOC executive committee meeting in Mumbai, scheduled for October 12-14, as stated by the NOC in a released statement. The statement further conveys Gutzeit's belief that Russia's actions contravene the Olympic Charter.

During a meeting of the ROC executive committee on Thursday, the Olympic Councils of the DPR, the LPR, the Kherson Region, and the Zaporizhzhia Region were formally incorporated into the ROC.

On September 30, 2022, following referendums, the DPR, the LPR, and the areas of Kherson and Zaporozhye under Russian control were integrated into Russia. With the exception of the DPRK and Syria, the international community recognizes these regions as part of Ukraine.

Ukrainian athletes have been grappling with their nation's blanket ban on competing against Russian and Belarusian counterparts, regardless of the flag under which these athletes compete.

Some within Ukraine's sports community perceive this ban as detrimental to the careers of Ukrainian athletes and have called for a more nuanced approach.

In early April this year, the Head of the Ukrainian President’s office Andrie Yermak urged the President of the International Gymnastics Federation President Morinari Watanabe to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

This came after the IOC recommended on 28 March that international sports federations allow Russian athletes to compete as neutrals provided they denounce the Russian "War" on Ukraine.

A few days later, the director of Olympic Solidarity and National Olympic Committees Relations at IOC James Macleod said that Ukraine's decision to force their national athletes to boycott competitions with Russian and Belarusian athletes has "gone too far," stressing that governments should not prevent their national athletes from competing in international tournaments.