Key facts
- The IOC provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee.
- Ukraine's Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi condemned the decision, calling it a "primitive legal trick."
- Ministers from nine European countries urged the EU to cut Olympic funding.
- Russia has used international sport for propaganda despite diplomatic isolation.
- The IOC's decision has led other sports federations to relax bans on Russian athletes.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Ukraine. Ukrainian Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi stated that the IOC is "effectively functioning as a pressure release valve" for Russia and that the decision was a "primitive legal trick" to circumvent sanctions.
The IOC's decision came after the Russian committee removed regional sports organizations from Russia-occupied Ukrainian territories from its membership. However, Bidnyi argued that this was a deliberate attempt to ignore reality and damage the IOC's credibility. Moscow has historically used international sport to maintain influence despite diplomatic isolation.