The International Olympic Committee (IOC) still does not want to exclude Russian officials, despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The IOC refers to the Olympic Charter, which states that IOC members do not represent their countries. “They have been individually elected by the IOC and are sent as ambassadors of the IOC to sports organizations of their countries,” the IOC statement said.
Shortly after the outbreak of the war, the IOC did advise all affiliated sports associations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from international events. But that is no longer enough now that the war continues.
The Minister of Sports and Defense has urged the IOC to exclude Russian and Belarusian officials from top positions in international sports federations. Switzerland is not only home to the IOC, but also many major sports federations have their headquarters there.