On Thursday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that international sports federations allow Russian youth teams and athletes to compete under their national symbols.

"Athletes have a fundamental right to participate in sports around the world and to compete regardless of political interference or pressure from government authorities," the IOC said in a statement.

In response, Estonian Olympic Committee (EOK) President Kersti Kaljulaid, President of the Latvian Olympic Committee Raimonds Lazdins and President of the Lithuanian Olympic Committee, and Daina Gudzineviciute issued a joint statement expressing their clear opposition to any new measures that would allow Russian or Belarusian athletes to participate in international sports.

"Such participation creates a basis for the dissemination of state propaganda in international sports, especially in the sensitive context of youth sports," the joint statement reads.

The firm position and demands of the Baltic Olympic committees

Based on previous decisions of the IOC Executive Board and taking into account the joint position of the IOC Summits and the European Olympic Community, the presidents of the Olympic committees of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania call on the International Olympic Committee, international sports federations and competition organizers to:

• maintain and strictly enforce the existing restrictions prohibiting Russian and Belarusian athletes from representing their countries under their national flags, anthem and symbols at all international competitions, including youth competitions, until the aggression against Ukraine has ended and accountability for violations of international law has been ensured;

• ensure protection for those Olympic committees, federations and athletes who refuse to compete with representatives of aggressor states, ensuring that they are not punished, sanctioned, or otherwise disadvantaged;

• maintain neutral individual participation only for those Russian and Belarusian athletes who have undergone credible integrity and anti-doping checks, have no connection to military, state, or propaganda structures, fully respect the Olympic Charter, and whose participation does not involve national symbols, team formats or state-affiliated delegations.

Although the Baltic Olympic committees do not agree with the current regulations allowing individual neutral athletes (INAs) to participate in international sports competitions, including the Olympic Games, considering such a possibility inappropriate during active military operations in Ukraine, the positions that have led to the introduction of such regulations for athletes holding Russian or Belarusian passports are understood, with the need for extreme caution and strictness in their application emphasized.

Sport and culture can play an important role in reconciliation and rebuilding bridges after aggression.

However, as long as the war continues, rights must be accompanied by clear responsibilities. Sport must remain a bearer of hope and peace and must never become a means of normalizing or concealing war. The Olympic committees of the Baltic states continue to stand in solidarity with Ukrainian athletes and the Ukrainian people.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!