Why IOC suspended Russian Olympic Committee? How it affects their athletes?

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international Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday (October 12) suspended the Russian Olympic body for breaching the rules by land grab in Ukraine following the nation's invasion into the country 20 months ago.

The decision to impose the suspension was taken by the IOC's executive board, which accused the Russian Olympic Committee of a breach of the Olympic Charter - the rulebook for international sports bodies - by incorporating sports councils in four regions in eastern Ukraine.

Russian Olympic body accepted the councils in Ukrainian cities Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia as its members. The International Olympic Committee took an unilateral decision and confirmed it through a a statement from Mumbai, where IOC Congress is taking place.

"Constitutes a breach of the Olympic Charter because it violates the territorial integrity of the NOC of Ukraine, as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in accordance with the Olympic Charter," read the statement by IOC.

While the Thomas Bach-presided body confirmed that the decision won't affect any of the Russian athletes, who are competing under neutral flags at the international level, the latest suspension could be an indication that the IOC may soon consider putting a blanket ban on Russia less than a year from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"(The IOC) reserves the right to decide about the participation of individual neutral athletes with a Russian passport in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 at the appropriate time," the IOC said.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams reaffirmed after the board meeting that none of the Russian athletes will be stopped from participating in international events despite the latest suspension while ROC was informed before the news was made public.

The suspension will also take away ROC's right to get funding from the IOC, which will burn a hole in the pocket of the body as the deal was worth millions of dollars in each four-year Olympic funding cycle.

Russian officials critcised the decision while discarding it as politically motivated while it has been reported that they are weighing on legal action to access the money that was not being paid during the war.