A technical delegate from Romania pulled the Ukrainian flag off the shoulders of Danylo Zamorylo, the winner of the boxing tournament in Lithuania’s Kaunas on Saturday.
According to the Lithuanian Boxing Federation, the incident took place at the Algirdas Šocikas International Boxing Tournament.
The behaviour of Viorel Sima appointed by the European Boxing Confederation (EUBC) was possibly deliberate and aimed at causing discord, the Lithuanian federation said.
“We believe Sima’s appointment as a technical delegate for the tournament by EUBC, encouraged by the International Boxing Association, was not accidental and was aimed at creating tension and encouraging aggression towards war-torn Ukraine,” the statement reads.
“This is immoral behaviour, given what is happening in the world, it is unjustifiable,” Donatas Mačianskas, head of the Lithuanian Boxing Federation, told LRT.lt on Monday.
Moreover, Sima asked Kazakhstan fans to lower the country’s national flag and also objected to the participation of Armenian athletes in the tournament.
“After long discussions, two athletes were allowed to box, one was not. The Armenians in question are associated with the part of the Armenian Boxing Federation that is against the war in Ukraine and is in favour of the suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes,” the Lithuanian Boxing Federation pointed out.
In October, the International Boxing Association decided to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in a decision that was condemned by the Lithuanian Boxing Federation. The latter also said it would not participate in international tournaments, European and World Championships with Russian and Belarusian athletes.
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