While Lithuanian sports federations have been campaigning to have Russian and Belarusian athletes barred from international competitions, the country is much more divided whether its athletes should take a personal stand at the risk of harming their careers.
Both the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (LTOK) and the National Sports Agency (NSA) have commented to LRT.lt that refusing to compete against athletes from aggressor countries – Russia and Belarus – is an individual decision for each athlete to make.
In a public opinion survey commissioned by LRT, almost half of the respondents, 45 percent, would support Lithuanian athletes refusing to compete, even if that resulted in a technical defeat. Almost as many, 43 percent, said they would not approve. Twelve percent did not give an opinion.
(The survey was conducted by Baltijos Tyrimai between May 12-29, 2023. It involved 1,020 respondents aged 15-74 across Lithuania.)
No unanimity in international sport
Opinions are also divided in international sporting bodies on the issue of barring Russian and Belarusian athletes. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) only issued recommendations after February 24, 2022, urging international sports federations to refrain from organising competitions in Russia and Belarus and to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from their competitions.
Each sport responded differently. In basketball, Russian and Belarusian clubs and teams were excluded. Football bodies only barred the Russians, while in tennis, athletes from both countries were allowed to compete unhindered under a neutral flag.
The Wimbledon Championships in the UK ventured to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes in 2022, but then the International Tennis Federation (ITF) decided that ATP and WTA points would not be awarded in this tournament.
As emotions have subsided since February 2022, a number of sports have started to bring Russian and Belarusian athletes back to international competition.
In May this year, the IOC announced that it was working on a way to bring back Russian and Belarusian athletes.
“Now we are undertaking all the efforts to accomplish the mission, and the offer of the Olympic Movement is to have athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports back in the international competitions,” IOC President Thomas Bach was quoted by the Chinese news agency Xinhua.
For their part, a number of international federations have already taken decisions to bring back athletes from aggressor countries to competitions, so Lithuanians will increasingly have to face the dilemma of whether to compete or to withdraw.
A word from the athletes
Lithuanian athletes are also divided on the issue. Discus thrower Mykolas Alekna, European champion and world vice-champion, has been particularly vocal. In an interview with LRT.lt, the athlete previously said that he was willing to skip the 2024 Olympic Games to make a stand.
“I would definitely sacrifice the Olympics and not take part. In my opinion, I would not be the only one who would not participate, but a lot of athletes would do it. I think the whole Lithuanian team would be absent, and the possible withdrawal of other teams would simply make the Olympics meaningless. There would be no point in competing there. In that case, the medals would also be worthless,” 20-year-old Alekna said in an interview in April.
However, there have already been cases when Lithuanian athletes had to compete alongside Russian and Belarusian athletes. The indoor football team has played two matches with the Belarusians, Lithuanians tennis players faced Russians in tournaments. Several Russian players even took part in tennis competitions in Lithuania.
Lithuania’s swimming prodigy Rūta Meilutytė – who has taken part in actions in support of Ukraine – swam in the same pool with Russian competitors. In Barcelona last May, she faced Russia’s Nika Godun.
Saulius Binevičius, the president of the Lithuanian Swimming Federation, told LRT.lt that it was “not good” for Lithuanian athletes to have to compete in the same events with Russians, but said that it was beyond the country’s control.
“It’s not good, but we don’t organise those competitions. We can’t interfere, we didn’t know when we came here that Russia would be taking part. As far as I understand, she [Godun] was representing a foreign club. That is the problem with the systems. I just know that there are Russians swimming at universities in the US, too, representing clubs in many places. Some are swimming as neutral athletes, others are swimming with some kind of approval. It is difficult to comment on the situation,” Binevičius told LRT.lt.
Some Lithuanians have refused to participate in competitions alongside Russians. On February 27, 2022, world boxing vice-champion Gabrielle Stonkutė reached the final of the Strandja International Tournament in Bulgaria, where she was supposed to face Russian Ana Ivanova, but refused to do so.
“When innocent people, women and children are killed in war, it’s not the medals that matter,” said Stonkutė at the time.
It is still unclear if the same dilemma will arise at the Paris Olympics next year.
Moreover, gestures like Stonkutė’s could be interpreted as political declarations, which are barred from Olympics.
“Before each Olympic Games, athletes sign a declaration in which they undertake not to express political opinions during the Games,” the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (LTOK) commented to LRT.lt. “Failure to comply with this declaration could lead to sanctions. It is difficult for us to say what these sanctions would be, it would be up to the organisers of the competition to decide.”
While the LTOK’s official position is that Russians and Belarusians should not compete in Paris, it has not chosen to boycott the games and the decision lies with each individual athlete.
The National Sports Agency (NSA) has said that athletes are advised, however, to participate in qualification events, since the IOC has not yet made its final decision whether Russians and Belarusians will be present in Paris.
According to the LTOK, if an athlete decides to boycott the Games, his or her ticket will pass over to someone else.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
