Lithuania’s minister for sports is initiating an appeal, to be joined by the other Baltic countries, asking the International Olympic Committee to not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Jurgita Šiugždinienė, Lithuania’s minister of education, science and sport, plans to discuss the issue with her Latvian and Estonian counterparts on Thursday.
“I have invited my counterparts to discuss a joint IOC appeal on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions. The IOC’s ongoing discussions are surprising in a bad way and they are incomprehensible. At a time when free and democratic countries are mobilising against Russia and its ally Belarus and increasing support for Ukraine, the IOC is looking for special forms for Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international sports,” the minister said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Lithuanian minister insisted that allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under neutral banner would help Russia and Belarus “prop up their criminal regimes”.
“We disagree with that and we do not want our athletes to be forced to compete against aggressors and sacrifice their own values and the values of the countries and societies they represent,” Šiugždinienė said.
Lithuania also plans to invite Nordic and other countries to join the IOC appeal.
The International Olympic Committee suggested last week that Russians and Belarusians should be allowed to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics as “neutral athletes”.
“No athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport,” it said in a statement.
The Baltic states, Poland and Latvia disapprove of such a move, and Latvia is even considering boycotting the Olympics, if the Russians take part.
