Nine EU nations urge funding cut for sports bodies over readmitting Russians

Nine European nations are calling on the European Union to sever financial ties with international sports organizations that have allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete again. The countries, including Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Sweden, have directed their plea to European Commissioner Glenn Micallef.

Their proposal specifically targets prominent bodies such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), World Aquatics, and the International Fencing Federation (FIE). This collective action represents the most forceful effort to date by EU member states to leverage the bloc's financial power against sports governing bodies over the reinstatement of Russian and Belarusian athletes. This move sets the stage for a potential conflict between European governments and the Olympic movement as the 2028 Los Angeles Games approach.

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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 IOC had provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee on July 7, stating that previous restrictions on Russian athletes were no longer applicable. However, the nine European nations argue that these decisions disregard the plight of Ukrainian athletes. They contend that allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete undermines the principles of human rights, the rule of law, and peaceful international relations, which are fundamental to international sport.

"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 nations stated in their letter. Beyond withholding financial support from the targeted sports bodies, the nine countries also proposed limiting their participation in key European sports forums and EU-led development discussions.

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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.