MOSCOW, October 30. /TASS/. /TASS/. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) because no other party involved in 55 global conflicts has violated the Olympic Charter in the same manner as Russia, IOC President Thomas Bach stated on Wednesday.

Speaking at the 2024 General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) in Portugal, Bach explained that the ROC's suspension was unavoidable due to its involvement in activities within Ukraine, which constituted a breach of the Olympic Charter.

However, the IOC chief emphasized that the governing body has never punished athletes for actions taken on behalf of their governments or national Olympic committees.

On October 12, 2023, the IOC suspended the ROC until further notice after the Russian organization included the Olympic councils of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), as well as the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, as its members.

As a result of the suspension, the ROC is prohibited from acting as a national Olympic committee or receiving funding from the Olympic movement. Nonetheless, the IOC retains the right to allow Russian athletes to compete as neutrals at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Later, Bach stated that Russian athletes must have no affiliation with the ROC if they wish to participate in the Olympics.