The International Olympic Committee (IOCA) has urged International Federations and other organisers not to stage events in Russia or Belarus, sanctions that are set to remain in place even as it pursues a return for both countries' athletes to competitions.

Russia had already been stripped of last year's UEFA Champions League final, the biggest match in European club football, when it was moved from Saint Petersburg to Paris on the day after the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Kazan's 45,379-seater stadium had been awarded the UEFA Super Cup in March 2020, after staging six matches when Russia held the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

It was also the main venue for the 2013 Summer Universiade and the 2015 World Aquatics Championships.

The 32,115-capacity Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, named after a military commander of the Greek War of Independence, is set to host the match between the winners of the Champions League and second-tier Europa League on August 16 instead.

It was completely rebuilt in time to hold football matches at the Athens 2004 Olympics including the women's final.

The venue had been used at the first Games in modern history in 1896 as the Neo Phaliron Velodrome for track cycling.

In 1981, the Stadium was the site for the worst football tragedy in Greece's history, with 21 people killed exiting the stadium after a match between Olympiacos and AEK Athens.

The Russian Football Union (RFU) told Russia's official state news agency TASS that the decision to move the match "was expected", and claimed "it has nothing to do with sports".

"At the moment, our efforts are focused on the return of Russian football to the international system of competitions," it added.

Its Honorary President Vyacheslav Koloskov also told TASS that he "didn't have any hopes that the match would be held in Kazan" and "therefore, there was no news here".

Russia's national teams and clubs have been suspended from UEFA and FIFA competitions since February last year in line with IOC recommendations in response to the war in Ukraine, leading to it being excluded from the Women's European Championship, qualification playoffs for the men's World Cup and qualifiers for the men's Euro 2024.

These measures have been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Football has proved an exception to other Olympic sports in banning Russia while permitting Belarus to continue playing, with its home matches at neutral grounds and behind closed doors.

The RFU had considered transferring to the Asian Football Confederation, but that proposal was shelved and it held initial talks with UEFA aiming to end its exclusion from European football earlier this week.