IOC drops objection to Belarus hosting international events
December 12, Pozirk. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) advised international sports federations to continue refraining from holding or supporting international events in Russia, but clarified that this restriction no longer applies to Belarus.
Athletes should not be held accountable for the actions of their governments, the IOC stressed at the Olympic Summit yesterday in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The IOC did not lift existing sanctions against the Russian and Belarusian governments, including the restriction on accreditations or invitations to international sports events or meetings for government officials from Russia and Belarus.
In late November, Viktar Łukašenka, Alaksandar Łukašenka’s son in charge of the Belarusian National Olympic Committee, held talks with Kirsty Coventry, president of the IOC, via video link, lobbying for the full return of Belarusian athletes to international competitions
When the war in Ukraine began in February 2022, the IOC urged sports federations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from all competitions.
Later, it recommended that some of them could be allowed as neutral athletes under certain conditions, such as not supporting the war.
In December 2023, the IOC allowed neutrals to compete in the 2024 Olympics.
Estonian U-17 women's football team to boycott game with Belarus
December 11, Pozirk. The Estonian U-17 women's national football team plans to boycott its game with Belarus in round 2 of the UEFA European Championship qualifiers in protest against Minsk’s involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine, ERR reported. Estonia was drawn …
