Swiss Olympic maintains competition ban on Russians, Belarusians

Swiss Olympic’s decision contrasts with the announcement by the IOC that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to compete again in international events under a neutral flag. Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

The Swiss Olympic Committee said its position on banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions remains unchanged, a day after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued its own recommendation on the matter.

In addition to retaining the ban on athletes, the Swiss body on Wednesday repeated its call that officials from Belarus and Russia be prevented from holding posts in international sports bodies, in line with the position of the Swiss government. It also said Swiss sports federations and their athletes were free to decide whether to participate in international competitions where Russian and Belarusian athletes are included.

The IOC has previously refused to exclude officials from the body, arguing that members were elected as individuals and did not, according to the Olympic Charter, represent their country in the Lausanne-based organisation.

Swiss Olympic’s decision contrasts with the announcement on Tuesday by the IOC that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to compete again in international events under a neutral flag. This advice does not include participation at the 2024 Summer Olympics – a separate decision will be taken on this at a later date, IOC President Thomas Bach said.

+ IOC issues recommendations for the gradual return to international competitions of Russian and Belarusian athletes

The IOC had initially sanctioned the athletes after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Bach justified the reversal by pointing to advice from independent human rights experts that excluding athletes based only on their passports would amount to discrimination.