Court of Arbitration for Sport Upholds Decision of International Olympic Committee to Suspend Russia’s Official Status
The country though has another chance to appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal within 30 days
Court of Arbitration for Sport Upholds Decision of International Olympic Committee to Suspend Russia’s Official Status
The country though has another chance to appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal within 30 days
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the bid of Russia to reverse the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to suspend its official status.
The action was taken after Russia attempted to absorb Ukrainian sports organizations following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Established in 1984, the CAS is a global organization meant to resolve sports-related disputes through arbitration. Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, it operates courts in New York City and Sydney.
On 06 November the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) filed an appeal in CAS, challenging the IOC's decision to suspend it until further notice. The ROC had attempted to include regional sports organizations under the authority of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.
The IOC ruled that the ROC's decision violated the Olympic Charter. It compromised the territorial integrity of Ukraine's National Olympic Committee. Therefore, the ROC lost its official Olympic committee status and funding.
In its 12 October decision, the CAS panel overseeing the appeal upheld the IOC’s decision stating that the Olympic organization did not violate the principles of legality, equality, predictability, or proportionality in the suspension.
However, the ROC has another chance to appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal ‘on limited grounds’ within 30 days.
Currently, the decision of the CAS is subject to a confidentiality review. It allows the parties to request that the decision remains confidential.
Meanwhile, due to the suspension, the ROC is prohibited from operating as a National Olympic Committee and is ineligible to receive funding from the Olympic Movement.
While Russian athletes can individually participate in the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, they are not eligible to compete under the Russian flag.