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World Olympic body IOC to check military affiliation of Russian members — spokesman

Mark Adams said that the IOC Ethics Committee would be holding inspections in regard to current and honorary members of the IOC from Russia, which besides Isinbayeva and Tarpishchev also includes four-time Olympic swimming champion Alexander Popov

MOSCOW, June 21. /TASS/. The Ethics Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will inquire into the possible affiliation of Russia’s IOC members Yelena Isinbayeva and Shamil Tarpishchev in the country’s military bodies, IOC Spokesperson Mark Adams said on Wednesday.

"In order to avoid having different standards between the athletes, the national officials and the IOC members in Russia, the same conditions to participate in the IOC international events apply," Adams said, speaking after the two-day session of the IOC Executive Board in the Swiss city of Lausanne.

"The IOC Ethics Committee has noted that two of the conditions mentioned in the IOC Executive Board’s recommendations applied to the IOC members," he said. "One is the active support of the war, and two is the contractual situation vis-a-vis with the Russian military and national security agencies."

"The situation with the IOC members concerned shall be assessed at the time of the events… from February 24, 2022… and since then," Adams stated.

The official added that the IOC Ethics Committee would be holding inspections in regard to current and honorary members of the IOC from Russia, which besides Isinbayeva and Tarpishchev also includes four-time Olympic swimming champion Alexander Popov.

"Considering that post-contractual situation of the athletes at the time before the war it shall not be taken into consideration. Those are the guidelines that are applied to the IOC members and honorary members. All the necessary work has been carried out to the satisfaction of the Athletes Commission," the IOC spokesman stated.

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, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

At its session on January 25, 2023, the IOC Executive Board put forward a proposal to permit individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports tournaments, but only under certain conditions. Specifically, athletes from the two countries should not be "actively supporting" Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status.

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