Ukraine and Russia entered a new phase in their sports diplomacy battle when the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine submitted an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on July 29, after the International Olympic Committee Executive Board announced on July 7 that it had provisionally reinstated the Russian Olympic Committee. In its statement, the NOC of Ukraine argued that the IOC decision “contradicts the provisions of the Olympic Charter,” which the IOC has recognized as requiring members to respect the territorial integrity of other Olympic committees. The Ukrainians stated that the Russian Federation has violated the Olympic Charter as it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Russians also continue to occupy territory in southern and eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainians added that the IOC’s announcement was “made prematurely and without proper verification of whether the violations – which led to the suspension of the ROC following the appeal by the NOC of Ukraine on October 6, 2023 – had actually been resolved.” This refers to when the IOC suspended the ROC in October 2023 after Russia recognized Olympic councils in the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia as Russian. At the time, the Russian Federation submitted an appeal to CAS to challenge the ROC suspension, but the sports arbiter dismissed Russia’s case, upholding the IOC’s suspension.
As Russia still occupies parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, the NOC of Ukraine stated in its appeal that the Russians continue to “consider the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine as part of the Russian sports space,” which was why the ROC was suspended in October 2023. The NOC of Ukraine concluded its statement by noting that it will continue to protect the “principles of the Olympic Charter, international law, and the territorial integrity of [Ukraine] in the international sports environment.”
Russian government officials have dismissed Ukraine’s challenge. On July 29, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova responded to Ukraine’s CAS appeal, stating that Ukraine “apparently has no other problems.” Meanwhile, on July 30, Dmitry Svishchev, Russia’s First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, argued that Ukraine’s CAS appeal would be a “waste of time, effort, and money.”
Other countries around the world, however, have criticized the IOC’s July 7 decision to provisionally lift its ban on the ROC and ease restrictions on Russian athletes. On July 14, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Sweden submitted a joint letter to the European Union urging it to cut funding to sports bodies that have allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in their respective competitions, including the IOC. Meanwhile, Canadian Secretary of Sport Adam van Koeverden, a former Olympian, stated that he was “appalled by the IOC’s decision” to reinstate Russia. Similarly, Republican and Democratic elected officials in the United States criticized the IOC for easing its restrictions on Russian athletes.
This is not the first time countries around the world have criticized the IOC and its sister organization, the International Paralympic Committee, for their stances on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine since February 2022. Initially, when the war began, the IOC and IPC declared that all Russian men and women would be barred from the Olympics and Paralympics. Similarly, given Belarus’s involvement in the war, the IOC and IPC stated that Belarusian athletes would not be allowed to participate in the Olympics and Paralympics.
But as the war in Ukraine has progressed, the IOC and IPC have eased restrictions. In 2024, the IOC and IPC announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes would be allowed to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics and 2024 Summer Paralympics, although as neutral athletes. Then, in September 2025, the IPC lifted its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes ahead of the 2026 Winter Paralympics. In response, 16 countries boycotted the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Paralympics. Finally, the IOC lifted restrictions on Belarusian athletes in May and eased its policies for Russian athletes in July. The easing of these restrictions on Russia and Belarus led several countries to criticize the IOC and IPC decisions, while the athlete advocacy groups Global Athlete and FairSport stated that the IOC’s decision to reinstate Russian athletes “represents a fundamental departure from the principles of Olympism.”
It remains to be seen how CAS will rule on Ukraine’s appeal. But in the challenge submitted by the NOC of Ukraine, the Ukrainians noted that in 2024 CAS “confirmed the legality of the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee” after stating that Russia’s inclusion of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia violated the “territorial integrity of the NOC of Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War reported that Russian forces have “continued limited offensive operations” in Zaporizhzhia on July 25 and July 26 while also showing Russian activity in eastern Ukraine. Additionally, United Nations News reported on July 30 that Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities were “getting worse.” Given these developments, Ukraine will hope that CAS takes the circumstances on the ground into consideration as it reviews the appeal.
Now, while Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues, the sports communities in Russia, Ukraine, and beyond will be curious to see how CAS will decide the case. The verdict will not only impact Russia’s participation at the 2028 Summer Olympics, but it will also establish a precedent for the sports community at future Olympic competitions.
