Brussels is facing growing pressure to stop funding the International Olympic Committee and other sports bodies that have readmitted Russian and Belarusian athletes. Organisations that ignore Russia’s war in Ukraine should no longer receive EU money, governments argue.
A group of EU member states has asked European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef to stop funding for international sports organisations that have readmitted Russian and Belarusian athletes. The letter bears the signatures of ministers from Sweden, Estonia, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Finland and Denmark.
They specifically name the International Olympic Committee (IOC), World Aquatics and the International Gymnastics Federation. The organisations should lose access to Erasmus+ and other EU funding programmes as well as a prominent role in EU sports forums, according to the letter.
The ministers argue that international sports bodies have ignored repeated calls from EU governments and other countries not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes, coaches, referees and officials back into international competition while Russia’s war against Ukraine continues.
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Instead, they say, several governing bodies have chosen a different course. “Respect for human rights, the rule of law, and peaceful relations between nations are among the core principles underpinning international sport and the Olympic movement,” the letter states.
Unequal playing field
It goes on to express “serious concern” that some international federations have failed to uphold those principles. By allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to return, the organisations “have demonstrated a clear divergence from the values on which the European Union is founded”.
The letter also highlights the unequal reality facing Ukrainian athletes more than three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Many have been forced from their homes, lost access to training facilities or chosen to defend their country instead of pursuing their sporting careers, the ministers write.
“In this context, any assertions that sport can be separated from politics ring hollow when thousands of innocent Ukrainians have lost their lives and when sport continues to be instrumentalised by the Russian and Belarusian regimes.”
The European Commission, however, clarified that it does not directly fund the International Olympic Committee. The IOC “does not have access to any of our funding” spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said, adding that the bloc would look into the wider picture of EU support available to sports organisations following the ministers’ letter.
At the same time, Ms Itkonen said the EU’s position on the IOC’s decision was “very, very clear”. “We do not agree with that decision.” She added that the Commission wanted to continue dialogue with sports bodies, while decisions on issues such as Olympic boycotts were not for Brussels to make.
Pressure after IOC decision
The appeal comes just days after the IOC Executive Board provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and said previous restrictions on Russian athletes no longer applied. The IOC had already eased its stance also on Belarusian athletes in May.
Together, the decisions pave the way for competitors from both countries to take part in qualification events and team sports ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The decision marks another step in the gradual return of Russian athletes to international sport. The process has drawn sustained criticism from Ukraine and several European governments since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
That is why the ministers now want EU funding to remain off the table for organisations that make such decisions. “It is regrettable that such measures should need to be considered,” the letter says.
“However, where these organisations choose not to uphold the values that the European Union seeks to promote and defend, access to EU funding and related benefits should remain suspended until they demonstrate a renewed commitment to those principles.”
