"Boycott is not needed": a coalition from 35 countries wants to eliminate Russians and Belarus from the 2024 Olympics

About it reports Reuters. Such a step is intended to click on the International Olympic Committee, which is desperately fighting for the largest world sports event. At the same time, the Minister of Sports Lithuania Yurgit Shyzhdiniene believes that everything goes to the fact that even the boycott of the Olympiad will not be needed, since countries are united in their position: neither Russians nor Belarus should be in international sports until the war is ongoing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took part in an online conference with the participation of 35 ministers, which discussed the call for the ban, emphasized in the press service of the Lithuanian Minsport. The principle of neutrality in relation to the Russian invasion cannot be discussed, the words of Zelensky representatives of the Lithuanian ministry were conveyed.

For his part, Polish Sports Minister Kamil Bortnichuk proposed to create a team of Belarusian and Russian refugees as a compromise so that at least some of the athletes from the aggressor country could participate in games. The tension around the Summer Olympiad of 2024 reminded the boycots of the Olympic Games in the 1970s and 80s by a number of countries. We will remind that the head of the IOC Thomas Bach threatened Ukrainian athletes for the boycott of the Olympiad.

According to him, this contradicts the principles of the Olympic movement. The IOC is played by Russia, says the journalist of "European Truth" Yuriy Onishchenko. Committee representatives intend to return Russians and Belarusians to the Olympics, but they are not enough time, however, like supporters.