The International Olympic Committee issued a statement condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The IOC says Russia is in violation of the Olympic Truce. The truce is a United Nations resolution agreed to by all 193 members in December.
“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) strongly condemns the breach of the Olympic Truce by the Russian government,” the statement read. “The Olympic Truce began seven days before the start of the Olympic Games, on 4 February 2022, and ends seven days after the closing of the Paralympic Games.”
Russia was banned from competing in international events, including the Tokyo Olympics and the Paralympic Games — for its role in one of the most notorious doping scandals in sports history.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) confirmed last year that the Russian Paralympic Committee would use “RPC” as the acronym, including for the marching order of the Opening Ceremony. All public displays of the organization’s participant name would use the acronym, not the full name “Russian Paralympic Committee.”
Since Thursday’s invasion, Russian forces have moved to within 20 miles of Kyiv.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced sanctions against Russia.
“Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences,” Biden said. “Today, I am authorizing additional strong sanctions and new limitations on what can be exported to Russia. This is going to impose severe costs on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time.”
The invasion was the third Russian breach of the Olympic Truce in the past 14 years. Russia first invaded Georgia during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The country also annexed Crimea soon after the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
