Tokyo, 12 January, /AJMEDIA/
The stance of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) remains unchanged regarding Russia’s international participation including Moscow’s initiative to set up a working group on cooperation with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the IOC press office said in a statement to TASS on Tuesday.
“The position of the IOC remains unchanged,” the statement from the IOC reads. “We kindly refer you to the ‘State of the Olympic Movement’ section in the Declaration of the 11th Olympic Summit held on December 9, 2022. Also please note the 2023 New Year’s Message by IOC President Thomas Bach.”
“We suggest you contact RFU [Russian Football Union] and/or UEFA directly for any specific questions about the working group,” the statement added.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) on February 28 barred Russian clubs and teams from participating in international competitions due to the situation around Ukraine.
The Russian team was unable to take part in the playoff qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The Russian national squad also did not participate in the draw for the 2024 European Championship.
On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments referring to a special military operation in Ukraine.
Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February last year, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments
After the suspension of Russian athletes from international tournaments, many sports federations hinted at their possible participation in the Asia-based sports tournaments.
Talks were underway about the Russian Football Union (RFU) switching to the Asian side (the Asian Football Federation) as the Russian organization was concerned with the participation in the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Russian national football team has already been sidelined from the 2024 UEFA Euro Cup due to political reasons.
