Since 2023, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) has been suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after it recognized sports organizations in occupied Ukrainian territories. This week, however, the IOC provisionally lifted that suspension after deciding those organizations were no longer part of the ROC. But this decision has provoked outrage from the Sports Minister of Ukraine, Matviy Bidnyi, who accused the Olympic body of ignoring reality.

In exclusive comments to DW on July 10, Bidnyi said, “Together with all Ukrainians and the entire clean sports community worldwide, I am profoundly outraged.”

According to the Ukrainian minister, the ROC eliminated all 89 regional sports organizations, not just the ones connected to occupied Ukrainian territories. He thinks the measure was designed not to make an official public declaration that those lands are Ukrainian. Bidnyi took it one step further by adding that the IOC fully understood what was happening but still chose to accept it.

“I simply do not believe that the IOC fails to understand this. This is a deliberate decision to ignore reality, which completely ruins their own credibility.”

The Ukrainian sports minister also offered a special invitation for IOC President Kirsty Coventry to come to Ukraine before making more decisions regarding Russia’s role in international sports.

“I want her to stand on our train platforms and see our defenders saying goodbye to their children before leaving for the frontline. I want her to visit our ruined sports academies and meet our young athletes who have to train under missile sirens.”

While the IOC has lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, some restrictions remain in place:

• Russian athletes are still barred from competing under the national flag,
• The Russian anthem cannot be played at the Olympic Games,
• The IOC also said it would continue monitoring athletes’ public statements and social media activity.

At the same time, the organization confirmed that it had dropped a previous requirement that neutral athletes prove they had no links to Russia’s military or security agencies and had not publicly supported the war. Bidnyi, however, remains unconvinced. He said Ukraine would continue fighting the IOC’s decision in an effort to protect what he called the true values of sport:

“The symbols of an aggressor state have no place at international sports events. We cannot allow the world to forget the cost of this war.”

While Ukraine strongly criticized the IOC’s decision, the response in Russia was completely different.

Russia celebrates the return path while the IOC stands by the ruling

In Russia, the decision was greeted with enthusiasm, and Sports Minister and Russian Olympic Committee chairman Mikhail Degtyarev hailed it as a significant step towards the country’s return to international competition.

“Our country’s return to the Olympic family is a green light for international federations to reinstate all our athletes,” Degtyarev said.

Also, spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the IOC’s move “an important step toward reinstating our athletes’ legitimate rights to participate in international competitions.” And added that the Russian authorities would continue to work towards a full return of Russian athletes to international competitions, including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry also defended the decision, though she stopped short of celebrating it in the same manner as Russian officials. Coventry argued that athletes should not automatically be punished for the actions of their governments, but would be under the IOC’s monitoring to check public conduct and social media activity when determining eligibility for future Olympic participation.