Latvia will boycott the Olympics if Russia joins
VILNIUS, Feb 1 (Reuters) – Latvia as the war in Ukraine continues Russia and joined Kiev on Wednesday in threatening to boycott the 2024 Olympics and qualifiers if Belarusian athletes participate.
A year ago the president Helping Vladimir Putin’s aggression against Ukraine Russia and Belarusian athletes have since been banned from participating in international competitions.
But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has opened the door to competition in qualifiers and a potential neutral participation in the 2024 Paris Games.
“While the war in Ukraine continues Russia and the participation of Belarusian athletes in the Olympic Games under any flag is unacceptable”, – Latvia National The statement of the Olympic Committee (IOC) says.
The participation of Russia and Belarus in the Olympics “will be an incentive for the further expansion of the war, the normalization of war crimes and brutal violence”, adding that Latvians should not participate in any competition with Russian and Belarusian athletes.
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Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with part of its troops entering from the territory of Belarus, and since then Ukraine bombing their cities.
Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky government has also threatened to boycott the Olympics, but Russia has said its campaign to exclude it from international sports will fail.
Moscow says it is defending its own security and denies accusations of widespread atrocities in Ukraine.
DIPLOMATIC CONSULTATIONS
Bordering Russia, Latvia along with its Baltic neighbors Estonia and Lithuania of Ukraine was a strong supporter. But none of these countries are considering boycotting Paris, their Olympic Committee leaders told the media.
Paris 2024 Olympics will be held on July 26-August. August 11-September 28 Paralympic Games. 8.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevic said he and his counterparts from Estonia, Lithuania and Poland had agreed on Tuesday that it was “unacceptable” for Russia and Belarus to participate in the Olympics while the war continued.
of Lithuania educationScience and Sports Minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene said on Wednesday that Baltic sports ministers will meet on Thursday to discuss a joint appeal to the IOC to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from all international competitions.
Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius Editing by Christian Radnedge and Andrew Cawthorne
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2023-02-01 22:29:12
Source – reuters
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