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Russian Olympic Committee slams IOC decision as counterproductive, politicized

"Being a member of the international sports movement, the ROC reserves the right to protect its interests, as well as the interests of athletes and organizations of the sovereign country we represent," the statement said

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. The decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is counterproductive and politicized, the ROC press service said in a statement on Thursday.

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IOC suspends Russian Olympic Committee until further notice

Earlier in the day, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) until further notice after the Russian organization included the Olympic councils of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions as its members.

"The IOC made another counterproductive decision today, heavy with obvious political overtones, thus confirming de-jure what was done de-facto back in February 2022," the statement reads. "Russian athletes, the overwhelming majority of whom were unjustifiably barred from international competitions, are unaffected by this decision as nothing has changed in regard to neutral status."

"Being a member of the international sports movement, the ROC reserves the right to protect its interests, as well as the interests of athletes and organizations of the sovereign country we represent," the statement added.

The IOC announced in its statement earlier on Thursday that "The Russian Olympic Committee is suspended with immediate effect until further notice."

According to the IOC, the ROC’s inclusion of new Olympic councils from Russia’s new regions "violates the territorial integrity of the NOC [the National Olympic Committee] of Ukraine."

"The Russian Olympic Committee is no longer entitled to operate as a National Olympic Committee, as defined in the Olympic Charter, and cannot receive any funding from the Olympic Movement," according to the document.

The IOC also stated that it reserved the right to decide on a possible participation of Russian athletes under a neutral status in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games and 2026 Winter Games.

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