New setback for Russia: the CAS ratified the suspension of the Olympic Committee

Two years after the Russian military occupation of Ukraine, an event that marked the beginning of a war that continues to bury lives, a further blow on the sporting front fell on the invading nation: the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected last Friday the protection of the Russian Olympic Committee and effectively maintained the suspension ordered by the International Olympic Committee, in force since October 2023.

In line with the IOC, the CAS, considered illegal the takeover of sports bodies in Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporiya, an annexation that the offices in Lausanne had described as a violation of “the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian Committee”.

For the purposes of the sanction, Russia will continue to be devoid of recognition and funding from the Olympic Movement for an indefinite period. These penalties had been added to several others in progress since February 2022, including the prohibition of organizing international competitions and the veto in tournaments of their national symbols, such as the flag and the anthem.

The TAS maintained that its determination “did not prejudice the principles of legality, equality, predictability and proportionality” and called it “definitive and binding”. In contrast, the ROC, which had appealed last November 6, described it in a statement as “unprecedented discrimination”, alleging the “lack of objectivity in everything related to Russia” for “a long time” and requested a review of the decision. Filing a new appeal to the Swiss Federal Court within 30 days is the last legal instance to reverse the ruling.

The ratification of the TAS does not alter the scenario of Russia - and Belarus - in Paris 2024: as long as they have not participated or given explicit signs of support for the War, they can only compete in individual events under a neutral flag.