The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is fighting before the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for readmission to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC Executive Committee suspended the ROC with immediate effect on October 12 over the inclusion of four annexed Ukrainian territories. The ROC has now lodged an appeal against this decision, as the CAS confirmed on Monday. Arbitration proceedings have been initiated.
The parties are currently exchanging written statements before a hearing takes place. “At this point it is not possible to provide a time frame for the announcement of the award,” the CAS said. A decision by the CAS panel is final and binding, after which the only option would be to lodge a complaint with the Swiss Federal Court within 30 days.
Since the suspension, the ROC is no longer allowed to function as a National Olympic Committee within the meaning of the Olympic Charter. It also no longer receives financial contributions from the IOC. The conditions under which Russian athletes are allowed to take part in international competitions continue to apply. In March, the IOC recommended that world associations allow athletes from the country to compete again as neutral individual athletes without a flag, anthem and Russian team uniform. The condition is that the athletes have no connection to the military and do not support the war of aggression in Ukraine.
