International Olympic Committee (IOC) Lifts Ban on Russia

Since 2022, Russia’s club and national teams have been banned from international competitions due to the attack on Ukraine and ongoing war. Sanctions were enacted so that Russian oligarchs like former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had to sell their teams, with Russia being on the outs of the soccer world only four years after hosting the World Cup themselves.

However, with the International Olympic Committee making the decision to lift the ban on Russia at the Olympics in July, it could open the door to others such as FIFA and UEFA doing the same. The IOC lifted the ban, saying that it was no longer applicable to Russia, but also standing in solidarity with Ukraine.

Russian athletes were originally banned from the Olympics due to violating the Olympic Charter because of the violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. These are things that haven’t changed from 2022 to now, as the War in Ukraine is still ongoing, which is a fact not lost on Ukraine Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi.