July 15, Pozirk. Nine European Union countries have submitted a request to the European sports commissioner to suspend EU funding for any sports organizations, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), that allow Russia and Belarus to return to international competitions.
The proposal has been endorsed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden.
Addressed to Commissioner Glenn Micallef, the proposal calls for both the IOC and several other sports organizations, including the International Fencing Federation and World Aquatics, to be excluded from EU funding programs.
It comes after the IOC executive board on July 7 decided at its meeting in Lausanne to lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee.
“Ukrainian athletes are unable to train and prepare under equal conditions. Many have been displaced, directly affected by the destruction caused by the war, or have chosen to defend their country and fellow citizens. In this context, any assertions that sport can be separated from politics ring hollow when thousands of innocent Ukrainians have lost their lives and when sport continues to be instrumentalised by the Russian and Belarusian regimes,” the letter says.
“Russia’s unprovoked and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine, enabled by the Belarusian government, is abhorrent and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and fundamental international obligations,” the letter says.
