The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) sanctions are somewhat unique, as this organization does not have the power to order travel bans and asset freezes in the traditional sense. However, driven by the concern over political discrimination of athletes and negative impact on the reputation of the Olympic Movement, it introduced several specific restrictive measures:
- ban on attending IOC-organized competitions for all members of the Belarusian National Olympic Committee (NOC);
- suspension of all payments to the Belarusian NOC, with the exception of those related directly to preparations of Belarusian athletes for the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympics; and
- suspension of any discussions with the Belarusian NOC regarding the hosting of future IOC events.
The IOC tried to balance its restrictive measures with safeguarding athletes’ rights. It requested the relevant international federations “to make sure that all eligible Belarusian athletes can take part in qualification events for the upcoming Olympic Games without any political discrimination”. It also declared that all Olympic scholarships will be paid directly to athletes and no longer through the NOC.