Nine European Union member states have called on the EU to cut funding to international sports bodies, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), following the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes back into international competition.
The move comes after the IOC Executive Board provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee on July 7, ruling that previous restrictions imposed in response to Russia's war in Ukraine were no longer applicable.
According to Estonia's Ministry of Culture, Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden have jointly urged the European Union to exclude sports governing bodies from the Erasmus programme and other EU funding initiatives.
In a joint letter, the countries said:"Respect for human rights, the rule of law and peaceful relations between nations are among the core principles underpinning international sport and the Olympic movement."
The nine nations argue that allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to return ignores the reality faced by Ukrainian athletes, many of whom are unable to train because they have been displaced, their sporting infrastructure has been destroyed, or they have joined the armed forces.
"Any assertions that sport can be separated from politics ring hollow when thousands of innocent Ukrainians have lost their lives and when sport continues to be instrumentalised by the Russian and Belarusian regimes," the statement added.
The proposal, addressed to European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef, targets major international governing bodies, including the IOC, World Aquatics and the International Fencing Federation (FIE).
The initiative marks the strongest collective effort yet by EU member states to use the bloc's financial leverage to oppose the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes, potentially setting up a confrontation between European governments and the Olympic movement ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The IOC, World Aquatics and the FIE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.