The ministers of sports of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland made a joint appeal to the IOC and international sports federations against the backdrop of a possible return of Russians and Belarusians to international sports.

The statement was published by the Lithuanian Ministry of Education, Science and Sports.

"

At a time when free and democratic countries are joining forces to increase support for Ukraine in its fight against the aggressive war of Russia, supported by its ally Belarus, and to impose additional sanctions against Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, the IOC is beginning to look for special forms of participation for athletes from.

Attempts to return Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sports competitions under the cover of neutrality legitimize the political decisions and widespread propaganda of these countries, including through the use of sports as a distraction from the unlawful aggression against Ukraine.

We highly appreciate all international sports organizations and federations that removed athletes and representatives of Russia and Belarus from international competitions, and we urge them not to change their position until Russia and Belarus stop their aggression against Ukraine,"

Recall, the International Olympic Committee called for the admission of representatives of the Russian Federation and Belarus to international competitions in a neutral status, provided that they were not seen actively supporting the war in Ukraine and comply with doping laws..

[see_also ids\u003d"

Earlier, the IOC said that the decision on the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to the 2024 Olympics has not yet been made..