Romania among nine states urging EU to reduce funding for Olympic Committee after lifting Russia ban

Update: In response to the letter signed by representatives of the nine states, including Romania, the International Olympic Committee doubled down on the decision to reinstate the Russian Olympic Committee. A spokesperson for the institution told Reuters that the decision to lift the ban on the ROC came after the latter removed regional sports bodies from occupied Ukrainian territories from its membership. According to the spokesperson, that was the reason that the ROC was sanctioned to begin with.

Moreover, the IOC said the decision ​was provisional and did not signal a broader change in its position towards Russia. "The IOC must uphold ​its mission to preserve a values-based and truly global sporting platform that provides hope to the ​world,” the spokesperson said.