On Friday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee by the International Olympic Committee in October.

Last October, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). The ROC had decided to integrate four sports organizations based in Ukraine (Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporijia), a country which Russia has been attacking militarily for the past two years. The ROC’s decision violated the Olympic Charter.

However, Russia had appealed against the IOC sanction. On Friday, however, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the appeal.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, Russian athletes, as well as those from Belarus (a country allied to Russia), were banned from competition. Last year, however, the IOC recommended to the international sporting authorities that the Russians and Belarusians be allowed to compete again as individual athletes, without flag, emblem or anthem.