IOC want Russian athletes ban from international events
The International Olympic Committee has called on sports organisations to ban all Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international events.
The IOC decision follows an Executive Board meeting where Russia's invasion of Ukraine was discussed and it is set to pave the way for FIFA to finally suspend the Russian football team from the World Cup.
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The committee has withdrawn the Olympic order from Vladimir Putin 'considering the extremely grave violation of the Olympic Truce and other violations of the Olympic Charter by the Russian government in the past'
FIFA has been branded an 'absolute disgrace' for failing to throw Russia out of the World Cup already.
Football's world governing body announced sanctions against Russia on Sunday, but they stopped short of an outright ban on participating in international competition.
Russia has been allowed to compete under the name, 'Football Union of Russia', with no flag or anthem and it must find a neutral country to host its matches.
But pressure has been growing on FIFA by the hour. The UK government was set to condemn the organisation for failing to take tough enough action, according to the Telegraph, and Labour MP Chris Bryant has labelled the body's response a 'shambles'.
However, FIFA is now 'in advanced talks over the full suspension of Russia until further notice', according to the BBC.
They are understood to be working closely with UEFA and an announcement is expected later today.
FIFA's initial response to the invasion of Ukraine appeared to be an attempt to act in a way that was broadly consistent with the inclusion of the Russian Olympic Committee at the 2022 Winter Olympics. This allowed Russian athletes to compete, despite Russia receiving a two-year ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2019 for its state-sponsored doping program
However, the IOC's decision would appear to be a game changer, and not just for football.
Russian tennis player, Daniil Medvedev, today became the world number one in his sport, but he may not have the chance to defend his ranking.
The US Open champion Medvedev, took the court in Acapulco, Mexico, last week hours after Novak Djokovic's quarter-final loss in Dubai, which meant the Russian would replace him at the top of the men's rankings today [Monday].
It came on the same day his country invaded Ukraine and now he may feel some of the consequences of Russia's aggression. However, Medvedev has insisted his aim is to promote peace.