Estonia calls for EU funding ban for IOC over Russia decision

Estonia has called on the European Union to withhold funding from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) following its decision to lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee. The move by the IOC executive board, taken at a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, could allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and other events.

In a press release, Estonian Culture Minister Heidy Purga (Reform Party) stated that in the current security situation, it is impossible to understand decisions that seek to bring aggressor states back into international sport as if nothing had happened. She emphasized that sport is not value-neutral and always carries a message, urging Europe to be clear and united: support must not reach organizations whose decisions conflict with EU values and responsibility toward Ukraine.

The statement, initiated by Estonia and joined by other nations, will be submitted to European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef. It calls for the IOC, the International Fencing Federation (FIE), and World Aquatics to be excluded from EU funding programs. Additionally, it proposes seriously considering restricting these organizations' participation in future discussions and events on sports development.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, athletes from Russia and Belarus have mostly competed under a neutral flag, with the ban formalized in 2023. The Estonian Olympic Committee condemned the IOC's decision, and Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Estonia 200) called it "disgraceful and irresponsible."