Polish Minister of Sports Kamil Bortnichuk said that about 40 countries may oppose the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in the upcoming Paris Olympics. DW reports..

" a very tough position on the part of representatives of these 40 countries will see the light,” Bortnichuk said..

According to the Minister of the country, they will "

He added that among these states may be members of the European Union and the UK.. Bortnichuk also mentioned the United States, although the White House said the day before that it would support allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a "

At the same time, Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland Pavel Yablonsky said on RMF FM that dictators Putin and Lukashenko use sports to strengthen their support. Therefore, limiting the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in big-time sports is a form of counteraction to Russian propaganda.

“My personal opinion is this:

if athletes from Russia and Belarus were allowed to the Games in 2024, then we should boycott these Games, there should be no participation in such Games. This is the pressure we need to put on the International Olympic Committee,” Yablonsky said..

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Earlier, the president of the Latvian Olympic Committee, Georges Tikmers, announced the country's readiness to boycott the 2024 Olympics in Paris if athletes from Russia and Belarus were allowed to attend..