Poland and the Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) will oppose the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Paris-2024 Olympic Games, even under a neutral flag, the Latvian Foreign Minister said on Tuesday.
Last week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) infuriated Ukraine by proposing a roadmap to organize the return of banned athletes under neutral flag, provided they had "
not actively supported the war in Ukraine
”.
Kiev immediately accused the Olympic body of "
promoting war
", and threatened to boycott the Paris Games if Russians participate.
Some want to boycott the 2024 Olympics in the event of the presence of the Russians
On Tuesday, the head of Latvian diplomacy Edgars Rinkevics took a stand in the debate: "
The decision to allow Russians and Belarusians to participate in the next Games is immoral and wrong
", he tweeted on the sidelines of a meeting in Riga with its Polish, Lithuanian and Estonian counterparts.
Through the voice of its president Zorzs Tikmer, the Latvian Olympic Committee has already threatened to boycott the Olympics: "
Latvia will not participate in the Games alongside the aggressor country
", he said.
Last week, Polish Sports Minister Kamil Bortniczuk had already said that he "
did not imagine
" the possibility of Russians and Belarusians participating in the Olympic Games.
In Estonia, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on Monday that letting the Russians compete "
would be a mockery of the Ukrainians and the tens of thousands of them who lost their lives in the worst crime against humanity perpetrated in Europe since the second world war
”.
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