Nine European countries proposed to deprive the IOC of funding due to Russia's admission

Estonia and eight other EU countries have proposed to the European Commission to deprive the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and a number of international sports organizations of funding for the admission of Russians to international competitions. This was announced on July 14 by the press service of the Estonian Ministry of Culture.

"Estonia, together with partner countries, has sent a proposal to Glenn Micallef, member of the European Commission responsible for sports, to exclude sports organizations from Erasmus+ programs and other European Union support measures that allow Russia and Belarus to return to international competitions," the agency's Facebook page says (owned by Meta, which is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation).

It is reported that the initiator of the appeal was Tallinn. The Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Sweden, Romania, Finland and Denmark also joined the letter.

The Estonian State Television and Radio ERR clarifies that the text of the letter proposes to exclude the IOC, as well as the International Fencing Federation, the International Swimming Federation and a number of other sports organizations from the Erasmus+ program and other European funding initiatives.

In addition, the authors of the letter suggested reviewing the participation of these organizations in future European discussions and events dedicated to the development of sports.

"While fully respecting the autonomy of sports organizations, EU countries urge international sports organizations to respect the principles of human rights, the rule of law and peaceful relations between states," the signatories stressed.

Olympic movements: what changes the restoration of Russian sports rights

When will athletes from the Russian Federation be able to compete under the national flag and participate in international tournaments at home?

On July 7, the IOC recommended that international sports federations lift sanctions against Russian athletes. He also temporarily reinstated the Russian Olympic Committee. According to the decision, the IOC will not hold events under its auspices in the Russian Federation anyway, but other sports federations can do this. The doping control will be carried out by the International Testing Agency.

According to Mikhail Degtyarev, Minister of Sports and head of the Russian Olympic Committee, the IOC's decision will accelerate the process of restoring all Russian athletes to the international arena. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the IOC's decision an important step. The recommendations of the committee have already been supported by the International Gymnastics Federation.

At the same time, the head of the European Diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, announced on July 13 that the foreign ministers of the EU countries strongly condemned the actions of the IOC. According to her, the ministers considered the committee's decision unacceptable, as it ignores existing sanctions against Russia, and stressed the need to maintain a unified approach to Russian athletes in European countries.