International Olympic Committee calls for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be stopped from participating in events
IOC calls for sporting federations and organisers to not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete following invasion of Ukraine
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

The International Olympic Committee has called on international sporting federations and organisers to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from taking part in their events following the invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement (opens in new tab) published on Monday afternoon, the IOC said the invasion of Ukraine "puts the Olympic Movement in a dilemma".
The statement reads: "While athletes from Russia and Belarus would be able to continue to participate in sports events, many athletes from Ukraine are prevented from doing so because of the attack on their country."
Last Thursday Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, which has been condemned by the international community.
On Friday, cycling's governing body, the UCI, deplored "the violation of international law and of Ukraine’s territorial integrity", and called for an "immediate halt to hostilities".
The IOC's statement goes one step further, however, and includes a resolution which says that Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials should not be allowed to participate in international competitions.
It says: "In order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants, the IOC EB recommends that International Sports Federations and sports event organisers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions."
The resolution continues: "Wherever this is not possible on short notice for organisational or legal reasons, the IOC EB strongly urges International Sports Federations and organisers of sports events worldwide to do everything in their power to ensure that no athlete or sports official from Russia or Belarus be allowed to take part under the name of Russia or Belarus.
"Russian or Belarusian nationals, be it as individuals or teams, should be accepted only as neutral athletes or neutral teams. No national symbols, colours, flags or anthems should be displayed."
Both of these recommendations may affect Russians and Belarusians who are professional cyclists, such as Bora-Hansgrohe's Aleksandr Vlasov, Ineos Grenadiers' Pavel Sivakov or Canyon-SRAM's Alena Amialiusik.
Sivakov wrote on Twitter last week that he's "totally against the war" and that "most Russians only want peace".
It also urges that no sports events be organised to be held in Russia or Belarus; the UCI has already stated that it has no events planned there for 2022.
The UCI has been contacted for comment.
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Adam is Cycling Weekly’s senior news and feature writer – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling on tarmac, he's happy. Before joining Cycling Weekly he spent two years writing for Procycling, where he interviewed riders and wrote about racing, speaking to people as varied as Demi Vollering to Philippe Gilbert. Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.
-
-
'It's the ultimate drop bar bike' - Mosaic Cycles introduces new RT-1 model
Mosaic, the builders of custom titanium dream bikes, today unveiled a "sleeker, more capable" version of its flagship road racer, the RT-1
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
Cannondale Topstone loses 160g with new Lab71 edition
American bike brand gives its flagship gravel bike the high-end carbon treatment
By Vern Pitt • Published
-
Russian team takes UCI to court over ban
Banned team Gazprom-RusVelo awaits verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport
By Chris Marshall-Bell • Published
-
Ukrainian cyclist disqualified from World Championships after blood sample result
Mykhaylo Kononenko's blood sample revealed the presence of the banned substance tramadol
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Newport Velodrome seeks to host Ukraine's track championships
National Championships cannot take place at home due to the Russian invasion, donations needed
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Ukrainian cyclist avoids Russian shelling and warplanes by cycling seven hours from besieged home city
Arif Bagirov successfully escaped the heavy conflict in Severodonetsk by completing a 43-mile bike ride unscathed
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Polish cycling team skipped race to help evacuate Ukrainian citizens
HRE Mazowsze Serce Polski Cycling Team helped transport Ukrainians around Poland
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
British Cycling call for Russian and Belarusian riders to be suspended from races after invasion of Ukraine
UK's governing body urged UCI to stop Russian and Belarusian riders from competing
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Former cycling team boss Oleg Tinkov comes out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Former owner of Tinkoff-Saxo says war is "unthinkable and unacceptable"
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Brian Cookson: UCI should take 'tough decision' to suspend Russian athletes
Former UCI president says cycling's governing body needs to do more after Russian invasion of Ukraine
By Adam Becket • Published