Ukraine on Tuesday criticized the International Olympic Committee's decision to lift its recommendations restricting Russian athletes, saying the move sends "a deeply concerning signal" to the international community.
“Russia continues its unprovoked and illegal war against Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on US social media platform X, adding: “Every day, civilians are killed, cities are destroyed, and international law is violated.”
It called on governments hosting international sporting events not to allow the display of Russian state symbols on their territory.
The ministry also called on international sports federations to maintain restrictions on Russian representatives, saying Ukraine would continue working with partners to ensure international sport "is never used as a tool to legitimize aggression."
"The Olympic Movement is founded on the principles of peace, respect for human dignity, and solidarity. We therefore hope that the issue of the use of Russian state symbols at the Olympic Games will be addressed separately and with the utmost responsibility," it added.
Earlier Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and said its recommendations restricting the participation of Russian athletes in international competitions were no longer applicable.
In a statement, the committee’s Executive Board said that it took the decision after determining that the Russian Olympic Committee “no longer includes as its members any regional sports organizations in territories falling under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine."
The committee said decisions on hosting events in Russia, inviting Russian officials or allowing Russian national symbols at competitions remain at the discretion of international sports federations and event organizers.
The Russian Olympic Committee had been suspended since Oct. 12, 2023, after incorporating sports bodies from Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine.
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