The IESF Membership Committee has undertaken an in-depth analysis in response to the UESF’s allegations concerning the RESF’s activities within the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine, contending that the RESF has established offices within Ukrainian territorial boundaries, thereby contravening the stipulations outlined in ARTICLE E31, subarticle (i):
“To respect the sovereignty of other members. A Member shall not interfere in internal affairs of another national federation unless requested to do so by such Member.”
In pursuit of a fair and comprehensive understanding of the matter, the IESF Membership Committee has conducted online meetings with representatives from both the UESF and RESF. These sessions were designed to facilitate a thorough examination of perspectives and the presentation of factual information from each party. After these deliberations, the IESF Membership Committee convened for a review session and reviewed all the provided evidence from both the UESF and RESF. The IESF Membership Committee’s recommendation to the IESF Board was the suspension of RESF’s good standing.
Both UESF and RESF were invited by the IESF Board to present their respective cases in front of the IESF Board members.
After careful consideration of the facts, the IESF Board conveyed a secret ballot and decided to suspend the RESF’s good standing. However, under best practices and international regulations such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommendation, the Olympic Charter for inclusion and non-discrimination based on origin, and the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the IESF Board adjusted the recommendation of the IESF Membership Committee, allowing players from all countries to participate under neutral conditions, represented by the IESF flag.
This decision aims to protect the athletes and ensure the participation of all IESF members.
The suspension of RESF’s good standing will be in effect until the General Assembly, where all full members of the IESF will decide whether to fully suspend RESF or reinstate their good standing, or until the RESF remedies the cause of the suspension.
IESF strongly condemns all war, hate, political interventions, and discrimination. Sport provides us with a unique platform for peacebuilding and future conflict prevention. We expect all members of the World Esports Family to use this platform for positive change and to embody IESF’s values of respect, unity, and friendship.
IESF will continue to strive for peace and unity while firmly standing by all democratic processes made within the organization and, above all, supporting and protecting the athletes.For any inquiries regarding this statement, please contact the IESF Secretariat at [email protected].
