Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania appealed to the International Olympic Committee to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the Olympic Games under a neutral flag. This was noted in the joint statement by these countries published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on March 27, 2023.
Source: The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland
The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland express their regret over the fact that the IOC, on the basis of arguments about non-discrimination based on nationality, decided to change its previous position on not allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials to participate in international competitions.
“We wish to stress that it is not athletes’ nationality that determines their role, but the fact that they are sponsored/supported by their governments or businesses backing up the Kremlin regime, which continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, or even they are affiliated with the Russian military directly,” emphasized the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
The statement stressed that as a result of Russian shelling, Ukrainian sports infrastructure regularly suffers, including many Ukrainian sportsmen were forced to flee their cities due to the war and lost the opportunity to train.
“There exists not a single reason to move away from the exclusion regime for Russian and Belarusian athletes set by the IOC more than a year ago, immediately after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion into Ukraine. We strongly believe that now is not the time to consider the opening up of a pathway for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to the Olympic Games in any status,” added the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
See also: Lithuania adopted a resolution on banning participation of Russians and Belarusians in 2024 Olympics
