The Court of Arbitration for Sport upholds the International Olympic Committee’s decision, reaffirming the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal from the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) challenging its suspension by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). On Friday, CAS confirmed that the IOC’s decision to suspend the ROC, made in October, was valid. The suspension stemmed from the ROC’s incorporation of sports bodies representing regions of eastern Ukraine, a move deemed to breach the Olympic Charter by the IOC.

As a result of this suspension, Russia remains barred from entering athletes for the Paris 2024 Olympics under its national flag. However, the IOC has permitted Russian athletes to compete as neutral participants, without displaying national symbols, as part of an ongoing initiative for neutral athletes.

The CAS ruling concluded that the suspension met the principles of legality, equality, predictability, and proportionality, rejecting the ROC’s claims. The ROC had argued that the decision mirrored the IOC’s arguments and failed to adequately consider Russia’s position. The ROC now has the option to appeal to the Swiss Supreme Court, though it has not yet confirmed whether it will pursue this route.

In its statement, the ROC condemned the ruling, claiming that it represented “civil and sports discrimination” against Russians as the Paris Games approach. The committee also expressed concern that the suspension had effectively excluded Russia’s athletes from participating in the Olympic Games.

The IOC’s original suspension was triggered by the ROC’s controversial decision to integrate sports bodies from four Ukrainian regions, which the IOC argued violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity, as recognised under the Olympic Charter. The IOC also reaffirmed its stance that Russian athletes who support the war in Ukraine would not be allowed to compete, although it has not required athletes to publicly denounce the war.

Despite the suspension, Russian athletes are still able to compete internationally as neutral athletes and are working to qualify for Paris 2024. They will be classified as “Individual Neutral Athletes” for the Games. Similarly, Belarusian athletes are under the same system, though the Belarusian National Olympic Committee has not been suspended.

The IOC maintains that this system alleviates the need to consult with the ROC on the selection of athletes for the Paris Olympics, and it has pledged to prevent any political influence from impacting the Games.