Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada on July 16 adopted an appeal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and international sports federations calling for Russian and Belarusian athletes to remain suspended from international competitions until Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine has fully ceased.
The corresponding resolution (No. 15391) was adopted during a session of the Ukrainian parliament.
The document was a response to the IOC Executive Board’s decision of July 7, 2026, to temporarily lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and discontinue the IOC’s recommendations concerning the participation of Russian athletes in international competitions.
In its appeal, the Verkhovna Rada calls on the International Olympic Committee to revoke its decision to restore the rights of the Russian Olympic Committee and to suspend it again until the end of the war against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian parliament also proposes barring athletes, sports delegations, officials and sports organisations from Russia and Belarus from participating in the Olympic Games and other international competitions.
In a separate provision, the Verkhovna Rada calls on the IOC to conduct an independent review of the activities of the Russian Olympic Committee and Russian sports federations to determine whether they have cooperated with sports organisations in the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia.
In its appeal to international sports federations, Ukrainian lawmakers also urged them to maintain existing restrictions on athletes who support Russia’s aggression or represent Russian security agencies, not to recognise the results of competitions held in occupied Ukrainian territories, and to refrain from staging international sporting events in Russia and Belarus until the restoration of the international legal order.
The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Youth and Sports welcomed the adoption of the resolution, stating that the full return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sport is impossible while the war continues, noting that it has led to the destruction of Ukraine’s sports infrastructure and the deaths of civilians.
The parliament said Ukraine intends to continue advocating for the preservation of the restrictions, arguing that international sport should not be used to legitimise what it describes as the aggressor state. According to the Ukrainian side, any review of the restrictions should be considered only after Russia’s aggression has ended, the international legal order has been restored, and those responsible have been held accountable.
