Lithuania pushes for EU ban on sports events involving Belarusian, Russian athletes

July 13, Pozirk. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys has criticized the International Olympic Committee over its recommendation made in May that sports federations no longer apply restrictions to Belarusian and Russian athletes that had been introduced after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“The notion of neutrality has been mixed with the normalization of aggression. This should not be allowed,” Budrys said on July 13 in Brussels before a meeting with European Union foreign ministers.

“The admission of an aggressor to participation is not a normal neutral position,” he added noting that the decision undermined international attempts to isolate Russia.

He said that Lithuania has raised the issue with EU foreign ministers as is pushes for an EU ban on competitions involving Russian and Belarusian athletes.

“Because we see that this regime is gradually coming back, first to cultural events – as we have seen recently at the Venice biennale – and now to sports competitions,” Budrys said.

On May 7, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) lifted recommendations for international federations and international sports event organizers to restrict the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes. Ukraine expressed protest and disappointment with the IOC decision, stressing that it contradicted the fundamental principles of justice, responsibility and Olympic values.

When Russia launched a full-scale war on Ukraine with the help of authorities in Minsk in February 2022, the IOC urged sports federations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from all competitions. Later, it recommended that some of them could be allowed as neutral athletes under certain conditions, such as not supporting the war.

All restrictions on Belarusian athletes have been lifted by the international governing bodies for karate, gymnastics, fencing, cycling, dance sport, billiards, water skiing, boxing, sailing, muay thai, modern pentathlon and volleyball, as well as the International University Sports Federation, under whose auspices the Summer and Winter World University Games will take place in 2027.

However, the International Tennis Federation, World Athletics and the International Skating Federation have maintained restrictions imposed in connection with Russia’s war against Ukraine. Belarus’ national soccer team as well as soccer clubs are also subject to restrictions, playing their international “home” games at neutral venues.

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