World Athletics refuses to return the Belarusian flag to competitions
Kyiv • UNN
The World Athletics Association has rejected the IOC's recommendation regarding the return of the Belarusian flag. The condition for any change is the end of the war in Ukraine.
World Athletics has refused to follow the International Olympic Committee's recommendation to return Belarusian athletes to international competitions under their national flag. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (CCD), UNN reports.
Details
The Association noted that a review of the restrictions is only possible under the condition of real progress in peace negotiations and the end of Russia's war against Ukraine. This decision was made against the backdrop of the start of qualification for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The decision not to allow representatives of Belarus to participate under the state flag is a logical consequence of the policy of the Lukashenko regime. Belarusian territory, infrastructure, and political resources continue to work for the needs of the Russian Armed Forces in the war against Ukraine
They add that the claim that "sport is beyond politics" is false in the context of global security.
"The softening of restrictions by individual federations is a destructive step, as the Lukashenko regime has not yet faced proper accountability for its role in the war," the CCD concludes.
Context
On May 7, the International Olympic Committee rescinded recommendations regarding the restriction of participation of athletes and teams from Belarus in international competitions, which were introduced after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Subsequently, it became known that Russia's return to international sports was postponed following allegations of the head of the anti-doping department's involvement in covering up doping test results at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.