The NOC of Ukraine has initiated an appeal procedure at the CAS against the IOC's decision to reinstate the rights of the Russian Olympic Committee

On July 28, 2026, the NOC of Ukraine filed a Statement of Appeal with the CAS, requesting the annulment of the IOC's decision, as the Ukrainian side is convinced it contradicts the provisions of the Olympic Charter, established CAS practice, and fails to consider the factual circumstances that served as the grounds for the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee's membership in 2023.

The position of the NOC of Ukraine is based on the fact that the IOC's decision was made prematurely and without proper verification of whether the violations—which led to the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee following the appeal by the NOC of Ukraine on October 6, 2023—had indeed been eliminated. This primarily concerns the interference in the territorial jurisdiction of the NOC of Ukraine through the inclusion of sports organizations from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine into the structure of the ROC.

The appeal emphasizes that the formal exclusion of regional Olympic councils from ROC membership does not indicate the cessation of Russia's activities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and does not mean the violation itself has been eliminated. Furthermore, following the adoption of the IOC decision, the leadership of the Russian Olympic Committee publicly stated that it continues to consider the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine as part of the Russian sports space, which, in the opinion of the NOC of Ukraine, contradicts the IOC's reasoning upon which the decision to reinstate the rights of the ROC was based.

In its appeal, the NOC of Ukraine also draws attention to the fact that back in 2024, the CAS upheld the legality of the Russian Olympic Committee's suspension, recognizing that the inclusion of sports organizations from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine violates the territorial integrity of the NOC of Ukraine and the provisions of the Olympic Charter. That is why the Ukrainian side believes that restoring the rights of the ROC without actually eliminating these violations is incompatible with the principles of international sports law and sets a dangerous precedent for the entire Olympic Movement.

The filing of the appeal is an important step for Ukraine in defending the principles of the Olympic Charter, international law, and the territorial integrity of our state within the international sports environment.

The NOC of Ukraine will continue to consistently defend the rights of Ukrainian sports, utilizing all legal mechanisms provided by international law to protect the interests of the state and the Ukrainian Olympic community.