Olympic Council of Asia backs IOC decision to allow Russian athletes to compete internationally

8 July, 12:48

The Olympic Council of Asia. Photo: OCA

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has welcomed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board's decision to no longer apply its recommendation restricting the participation of Russian athletes and teams in international competitions.

Source: press service for the OCA

Details: The OCA said it shares the IOC's view that athletes should not be prevented from competing because of wars or conflicts involving their countries of origin. The organisation expressed its support for promoting peace through sport and condemned armed conflicts and violence around the world.

The OCA stressed that sport should unite people, citing the 2026 Asian Beach Games in Sanya as an example, where athletes representing all 45 National Olympic Committees of Asia competed peacefully.

Background:

The IOC decided to provisionally reinstate the Russian Olympic Committee. Its suspension had been imposed on 12 October 2023.
Following the decision, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine expressed its disagreement with the IOC's provisional reinstatement of the Russian Olympic Committee.
At the end of June, the IOC also introduced amendments to the Olympic Charter that were intended to facilitate Russia's full return to international sport.

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