Estonia has proposed taking action against the International Olympic Committee following its decision to ease restrictions on Russian athletes participating in international competitions.
Estonian media, quoting the country's Minister of Culture, Heidi Burgu, reported that Estonia is seeking to exclude the International Olympic Committee and a number of other sports bodies from European Union funding programs.
She added that a request in this regard will be submitted to the European Commissioner for Intergenerational Justice, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, in cooperation with a number of partner countries whose names have not yet been disclosed.
On Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee decided to cancel its previous recommendations that called on international sports federations and tournament organizers to impose restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes, and it temporarily reinstated the Russian Olympic Committee to its membership.
Following the decision, Ukraine called on the International Olympic Committee to reconsider its decision, expressing its firm rejection of lifting the restrictions imposed on Russia.
In a related context, The Guardian revealed that a number of European football federations, most notably England, Germany and France, still oppose the return of Russian national teams and clubs to international tournaments, despite the decision of the International Olympic Committee.
According to the report, UEFA does not currently see any realistic chance of lifting the sanctions imposed on Russian football, given the continued stance of a number of European federations refusing to allow Russian teams to return to continental competitions.
The Telegraph had previously indicated that FIFA and UEFA do not plan to reinstate Russian clubs and national teams to international tournaments in the near future, while emphasizing that FIFA will conduct a further assessment of the repercussions of the International Olympic Committee's decision.
