Press Release courtesy of the IOC
In line with the decision of the IOC Executive Board (EB) on 5 December 2017, the IOC has issued “Conduct Guidelines” for the “Olympic Athlete from Russia” (OAR) delegation who will be invited to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. The guidelines were handed over to the suspended Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) by an IOC delegation in Moscow.
The guidelines aim to clarify existing IOC and POCOG rules and policies that apply to all participants at PyeongChang 2018, but also highlight specific elements that relate to the consequences of the IOC EB’s decision to suspend the ROC. Any additional guidelines for the OAR delegation will be established as needed by the International Olympic Committee.
The suspended ROC is responsible for communicating these guidelines to, and ensuring that they are followed by, all accredited members of the OAR delegation and any associated stakeholders with a presence in PyeongChang during the period of the Games, as defined by the opening and closing of the Olympic Village (26 January – 28 February 2018). Respecting the rules means, in particular, not taking part in any initiatives that can be perceived as circumventing the spirit of the EB decision.
The application of these guidelines prior to and during PyeongChang 2018 will be monitored by a taskforce, led by IOC Deputy Director General Pere Miró and Sports Director Kit McConnell, which will provide a complete report to the OAR Implementation Group (OARIG). The OARIG consists of IOC EB member Nicole Hoevertsz (Chair), IOC Athletes’ Commission member Danka Bartekova and IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper, and has been entrusted by the IOC EB with overseeing and reporting back on the process.
Adherence to all existing IOC and POCOG rules and policies and these guidelines will be evaluated and considered when the IOC Executive Board takes the decision to partially or fully lift the suspension of the ROC. Failure of a member of the OAR delegation to comply with existing rules or these guidelines may lead to an OAR invitation being revoked and/or the withdrawal of accreditation.
The IOC has also developed an Integrity Declaration Form for OAR athletes and a declaration for officials. Every member on the list of invited athletes and officials will have to sign the forms.
The invitations can be issued only at the OAR Delegation Registration Meeting (DRM) on 27 January 2018 in PyeongChang. Therefore, a final list of invited athletes cannot be published before that date.