Ukraine's National Olympic Committee (NOC) has launched an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to provisionally reinstate the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).
The Ukrainian body confirmed its action on Wednesday, challenging the IOC's move, which it deems premature and dangerous. The IOC had provisionally lifted the ROC’s suspension on 7 July, a step that appeared to facilitate Russia’s reintegration into the Olympic movement.
The ROC was initially suspended in October 2023 after it recognised regional Olympic councils in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. The NOC of Ukraine stated its position is based on the belief that the IOC's decision was made prematurely and without proper verification that the violations leading to the suspension had been resolved.
The Ukrainian committee also highlighted a 2024 CAS ruling that confirmed the legality of the ROC's suspension, recognising that including sports organisations from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories violates Ukraine's territorial integrity and the Olympic Charter. Ukraine believes reinstating the ROC's rights without addressing these violations is incompatible with international sports law.