For the first time since the start of the war in Ukraine, the ROC was suspended on the first day of the IOC Executive Board meeting because it recognized Olympic Councils in four regions illegally annexed from Ukraine, which was deemed a breach of the Olympic Charter.
IOC President Thomas Bach met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv last year, but the Ukrainian President was a high-profile critic of the move to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competitions as individual neutrals, approved in March provided they do not support the war and are not affiliated to the military.
Ukrainian officials reacted angrily to the IOC’s move, threatening a boycott of the next year’s Olympics in Paris if Russian and Belarusian athletes take part and accusing the IOC of tacitly supporting the war in Ukraine.
Rhetoric from some officials was rejected as “totally unacceptable” by the IOC, and in February it said Bach had no plans to take up an invitation by Zelenskyy to the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
Despite the at-times uneasy relationship, Zelenskyy commended those behind the ROC suspension.
“There is a decision by the International Olympic Committee, which suspended the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee,” he said.
“Everyone in the world should respect the territorial integrity of nations and the UN [United Nations] Charter.
“And if someone in Russia thinks they can use sports and the Olympic movement as a weapon, that will definitely not work.
“Thank you to everyone who defends the principles of Olympism.”
The ROC had grown increasingly assertive in its criticism of the Olympic Movement’s response to the war in Ukraine, claiming the conditions required for its athletes to participate are unjust and discriminatory.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the IOC of influence from the United States in its decision, something the IOC has previously rejected and argued that coupled with criticism from Ukraine, shows it has found a “middle ground” in its stance.
“Decision of the IOC Executive Committee dated October 12 this year. the suspension of membership of the Russian Olympic Committee is another confirmation of the destructive processes that are gaining momentum within the IOC under pressure from Washington,” she said.
“Such politically motivated actions by international sports officials lead to the corrosion of the entire world sport.
“The double standards and deliberate segregation based on nationality demonstrated by the IOC leadership represent a blatant infringement of the rights of Russian athletes, and ultimately a violation of basic human rights.”
Zakharova added Russia would “use the necessary international legal instruments to defend the rights of domestic athletes”.
