Olympic funding questioned by nine EU nations over Russia readmission

Nine European Union nations urge funding cuts for sports bodies including the International Olympic Committee over readmitting Russian athletes.Nine European nations have ‌asked the European Union to cut funding to sports bodies including ⁠the International Olympic ⁠Committee (IOC), that let Russian and Belarusian athletes return to competition, Estonia’s Ministry of Culture has said.Addressed to European Commissioner for ⁠Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef, the proposal targets major bodies including the IOC, World Aquatics and the International Fencing Federation (FIE).Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4World Cup semifinals delay Barcelona’s, Real Madrid’s La Liga startslist 2 of 4France-Spain World Cup semi: Neither side has trailed, but only one can winlist 3 of 4Argentina war vets urge focus on football for England World Cup semifinallist 4 of 4World Cup Day 34: Semifinals begin as France face Spain in Dallasend of listThe move marks ⁠the strongest collective push yet by EU member states to use the bloc’s financial leverage against international sports bodies over the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes, setting up a potential confrontation between European governments and the Olympic movement ahead of ‌the 2028 Los Angeles Games.The IOC, World Aquatics and FIE did not immediately reply to requests for comment.On July 7, the IOC executive board provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and noted that previous restrictions on Russian athletes, enacted in response to Russia’s four-and-a-half-year war on Ukraine, were no longer applicable.The nine European nations — Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden — ⁠have called for these governing bodies to be excluded from ⁠the EU’s Erasmus+ and other financial support programmes.“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,” they wrote in the letter.