Baltic Countries Urge IOC Not to Allow Russians and Belarusians in the Olympics

On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of the three Baltic countries addressed the International Olympic Committee, urging them not to admit Russians and Belarusians to the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, even under neutral status. 

The appeal, published by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was also echoed by Latvia and Lithuania's diplomatic agencies.

The heads of the Baltic foreign ministries welcomed the decision of the International Olympic Committee not to extend official invitations to Russia and Belarus for the 2024 Olympics. However, they expressed deep concern over the recommendation to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in international competitions under the banner of neutrality. They argue that such an approach is unjustified, considering Russia and its ally Belarus are still waging a cruel war against Ukraine, a sovereign country participating in the Olympic Games.

The foreign ministers pointed out that in recent years, Russia has used "neutral" athletes in international competitions as part of their state propaganda. Prohibiting the participation of Russian soldiers in these events has not effectively prevented this misuse.

Furthermore, the ministers emphasized that hundreds of Ukrainian athletes have lost their lives, and numerous sports facilities in Ukraine have been destroyed due to the full-scale war instigated by Russia. Therefore, they called on the International Olympic Committee, as one of the largest and most influential sports organizations in the world, to uphold their own restrictive measures until Russia ceases its unprovoked, unwarranted, and illegal aggression and not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Olympics under any status.

It's worth mentioning that in February, approximately 30 countries, including the host of the 2024 Olympics, France, urged the IOC to exclude Russians and Belarusians from the Games in Paris due to concerns about the clarity of athletes' "neutrality."

The signatories of the appeal expressed serious doubts about the feasibility for Russian and Belarusian Olympic athletes to compete under a neutral flag, considering they are directly financed and supported by their respective countries, unlike, for instance, professional tennis players. As long as these fundamental issues and the lack of clarity and specifics regarding the effectiveness of the "neutrality" model remain unresolved, they disagree with the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the games.

The foreign ministers also highlighted the links between sports and the military in Russia and Belarus. They underlined that amidst the cruelty of President Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine, there are no practical reasons to deviate from the exclusionary regime for Russian and Belarusian athletes, established by the IOC in their statement on February 28, 2022.