The president of the suspended Russian Olympic Committee said Tuesday he plans to step down after six years in charge.
Stanislav Pozdnyakov's statement comes just over two months after a delegation of 15 Russians competed at the Paris Olympics as “Individual Neutral Athletes” without the national flag or anthem as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The athletes did not represent the ROC, whose IOC recognition was suspended last year, and Pozdnyakov had been sharply critical of the neutral rules.
Pozdnyakov said in a statement on the ROC website that a board meeting next month was expected to set a date to elect his replacement, who would likely take office shortly before the IOC too elects a new leader.
“The geopolitical challenges that our country faces dictate the need for optimization and centralization of the management of key areas of activity, including elite-level sports,” Pozdnyakov said. He added that “the role of the state nowadays is important as never before” in supporting athletes and sports events.
Pozdnyakov is a former Olympic fencing gold medalist who holds the rank of colonel in the Russian military.
Russian athletes have not competed under the country's national flag at any of the three Olympic Games during Pozdnyakov's six-year tenure as president of the ROC.
For the pandemic-delayed Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021 and the Winter Olympics in Beijing the following year, Russians competed under the Russian Olympic Committee's name and flag as part of the fallout from long-running disputes over doping cases.
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FILE - President of the Russian Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdnyakov speaks during the annual meeting of Russian Olympic Committee members in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Many states have laws designed to keep children away from convicted sexual offenders on Halloween night, such as curfews for those on offender registries and requirements to keep their porch lights off.
But a Missouri law mandating a yard sign was a step too far, a judge ruled.
A 2008 law required registered offenders in Missouri to post signs on Oct. 31 that read “No candy or treats at this residence.” U.S. District Judge John Ross ruled this month that the provision violated the First Amendment by forcing “compelled speech," depriving those on the registry "of their freedom to speak in their own words or to not speak at all.”
The ruling lets stand other provisions of the Missouri law that require people on the registry on Halloween to remain inside their home from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and to leave their outdoor lights off.
The Missouri sign law is unique among states, but some cities and counties have tried similar laws that were either struck down in court or withdrawn as part of lawsuit settlements.
Ross' ruling about the Missouri sign law drew a mixed response. Some said extraordinary steps are necessary on a night when children flood the streets and often knock on the doors of strangers. Others said the sign law was unnecessarily cruel — and even counterproductive.
“I feel like it’s a setback and another example of predators’ rights kind of trumping those of their victims,” said Tara Bishop, a 40-year-old mother of four from southwestern Missouri who operates a Facebook page called Child Predators Exposed with more than 10,000 followers.
Janice Bellucci, the lawyer for the Missouri man who challenged the law, said that for those forced to place the sign, the damage is long-lasting.
“It’s not just stigmatizing you that one day, it stigmatizes you for the rest of your life, as long as you live there," said Bellucci, who is part of the California-based Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Thomas L. Sanderson of Hazelwood, Missouri, a St. Louis suburb. He was convicted of second-degree sodomy in 2006 after a 16-year-old family friend accused him of sexually touching her. Sanderson, who has maintained his innocence, was sentenced to two years in prison and required to register as a sexual offender for 25 years.
The Missouri Halloween law was adopted two years later. It is unclear how many of the state's approximately 26,000 convicted sexual offenders have been charged for violating the statute, or how stringent enforcement has been.
The lawsuit said Sanderson asked police if he was subject to the law because his conviction happened before its passage. He said he was told he was not, so he continued to host Halloween parties complete with animatronic figures, lights, a bonfire, music and candy, the lawsuit said.
But the lawsuit said that on Halloween night 2022, police arrived at Sanderson's home. No sign was posted, and he was arrested. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for violating the Halloween statute and received probation. He sued last year.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey's office, in court filings, wrote that the state is duty-bound to protect children who can't make adequate decisions on their own. Bailey's office said an appeal is planned.
“I want Missouri to be the safest state in the nation for children. That includes on Halloween," Bailey, a Republican, said in a statement.
Alison Feigh, director of Jacob Wetterling Resource Center at Zero Abuse Project, which focuses on helping institutions prevent, recognize and respond to child sexual abuse, said most assaults happen after offenders build relationships with victims and their families. Tactics like signs are not helpful in keeping children safe, she said in an email.
“These public signs may give a false sense of security to families while not actually preventing child abuse,” Feigh said.
Other Halloween sign laws also have faced setbacks.
In Georgia, the Butts County Sheriff's Office was sued in 2019, with people on registries alleging that authorities trespassed onto their properties to post signs that caused humiliation and anxiety. The signs read: “WARNING! NO TRICK-OR-TREATING AT THIS ADDRESS!! A COMMUNITY SAFETY MESSAGE FROM BUTTS COUNTY SHERIFF GARY LONG."
A federal appeals court panel in 2022 said the signage violated the First Amendment.
In California, Simi Valley required Halloween signs in the yards of registered sexual offenders until reaching a 2013 settlement in a lawsuit filed by the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws on behalf of five offenders.
In January, the alliance filed suit after the sheriff's office in Marion County, Arkansas, created and posted signs and placed them in the yards of those on the registry. The signs read: "Sorry! No Trick or Treat.” The sheriff's office later agreed to stop posting or requiring the signs.
Halloween candy and pumpkins sit outside of a home Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in St. Joseph, Mo. (AP Photo/Nick Ingram)
Halloween candy and pumpkins sit outside of a home Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in St. Joseph, Mo. (AP Photo/Nick Ingram)
The Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse is shown Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse is shown Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
The Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse is shown Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
