How russia deceived IOC
The minister of sports and the chairman of the russian olympic committee mikhail degtyarev openly stated that the ROC allegedly “did not give up any territories” and continues to operate throughout the territory of the russian federation, as recorded in its constitution. This concerns the activities of the ROC at the TOT of Ukraine.
With these words, the russian official actually confirmed an attempt to deceive the International Olympic Committee in order to lift the restrictions. In order to achieve a formal lifting of the suspension, the ROC resorted to legal tricks: it eliminated the provisions on regional Olympic councils in its charter and assured the IOC in writing that it would not conduct activities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
However, degtyarev boasts to his internal audience that this is only a formal change in the “organizational structure” to divert attention. According to his logic, moscow has “outwitted” the international authority, because the okrgodic region continues to consider these territories its own, and the real activities on the occupied lands will simply be transferred to the ministry of sports of the russian Federation, which degtyarev also heads.
Such behavior is a classic example of the kremlin’s tactics: to sign official commitments to return to world sports, while simultaneously inventing loopholes to circumvent them.
