Baltic leaders expect IOC’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in Olympics to be canceled
The three Baltic presidents said they expect the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in neutral status to be canceled, as the decision undermines "some of the key principles of the Olympic movement."
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by the LRT television and radio company.
"This is a very regrettable decision, and I still hope that it can be reconsidered, that it can be corrected," said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda.
"We are already seeing the reaction of various federations, and I think that Olympic principles have nothing to do with terror, murder or destruction. So it is very unpleasant to see such decisions right now, at a critical stage of the war in Ukraine," he added.
Estonian President Alar Karis also said that he considers the IOC's decision unacceptable "both as a citizen and as a person who loves sports."
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said that the decision undermines "some of the key principles of the Olympic movement."
"In my opinion, if nothing changes, it will be very difficult to see Ukrainian or Latvian athletes there. But this is, of course, a decision that should be made by governments and sports communities in each country, and of course, it should be well coordinated and well thought out with like-minded countries, including Ukraine, the Baltic States and other European countries that are not happy with these decisions," he emphasized.
Earlier, the IOC recommended that some Russian and Belarusian athletes be allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics under a neutral flag, provided they do not actively support the war against Ukraine and are not affiliated with the security forces and national teams of their countries.
The demonstration of Russian and Belarusian flags and other symbols of the two countries is also not allowed in the official venues of the Games. Official representatives of Russia and Belarus will not be invited to the Olympics.
