Overview
- The International Olympic Committee temporarily reinstated the Russian Olympic Committee on 7 July and lifted recommended restrictions so some Russian athletes can enter qualification events for the 2028 Olympics.
- In a letter sent to European Commissioner Glenn Micallef on 14 July, Estonia and eight partners proposed denying the IOC and supportive federations access to EU funding, including the Erasmus+ programme, and reviewing their role in EU sports forums.
- The nine signatories are Estonia, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Sweden, Romania, Finland and Denmark.
- Several international federations have already relaxed bans, with the International Volleyball Federation and the International Table Tennis Federation allowing Russian participation, and the IOC restored the ROC page on its website the same day.
- The Commission has not decided on the request and its choice could mean a binding financial penalty, a political rebuke, or no action at all, with direct consequences for Ukrainian athletes’ competitive fairness and for how the EU uses funding to enforce values in sport.