On July 28, the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board's decision of July 7 to temporarily reinstate the rights of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), reported the press service of Ilyashev & Partners, the law firm representing the Ukrainian NOC in this case.
In its appeal, the NOC of Ukraine asks the CAS to overturn the IOC decision, believing that it contradicts the provisions of the Olympic Charter regarding the territorial jurisdiction of national Olympic committees.
According to the appellant, the circumstances that formed the basis for the removal of ROC in 2023 were not, in fact, eliminated, and the decision to restore its rights was made without proper verification of the relevant circumstances.
It is noted that, in preparing the appeal, one of the key challenges for the Ilyashev & Partners team was finding evidence that, after the formal exclusion of the regional Olympic councils, the ROC continued to extend its activities to territories under the jurisdiction of the NOC of Ukraine.
"Paradoxically, one of the most compelling pieces of evidence was provided by the Russian side itself, as just two days after the IOC's decision, the head of the Russian Olympic Committee and Russian Minister of Sport, Mikhail Degtyarev, publicly stated that the Russian Olympic Committee had not renounced any territories and continues to operate within the boundaries defined by the Russian constitution, including the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine," the press release states.
It emphasizes that the said statement not only attested to the formal nature of the reform carried out, but also cast doubt on the factual grounds on which the IOC restored the rights of the ROC.
Ilyashev & Partners clarified that this is the first case in the history of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine in which it is appealing a decision of the International Olympic Committee to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, defending its rights guaranteed by the Olympic Charter.
"Any exercise by another National Olympic Committee of authority over sports organizations, national federations, or athletes located in Ukraine directly violates the territorial jurisdiction of the NOC of Ukraine and its rights guaranteed by the Olympic Charter," noted Ilyashev, managing partner of the law firm Ilyashev & Partners.
As reported, on October 12, 2023, the IOC Executive Board suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) following the inclusion of sports organizations from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. In February 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld this decision, dismissing the ROC's appeal. On July 7, 2026, the IOC issued a decision to temporarily reinstate the ROC's rights, which became the subject of the current dispute.
The interests of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine in the case are represented by a team from the law firm Ilyashev & Partners, consisting of Managing Partner Mykhailo Ilyashev, Counsel Roman Protsyshin, and Associate Karine Altunyan.
Ilyashev & Partners is providing pro bono legal support to the NOC of Ukraine, according to the press release.
