Belarusians, Russians banned from 2023 World University Games

November 18, BPN. The International University Sports Federation (FISU) has banned Belarusian and Russian athletes from the Winter World University Games scheduled to take place in January 2023 in Lake Placid, USA.

Participants from both countries will miss the games “because of measures implemented in response to the war in Ukraine,” said FISU Secretary General Eric Saintrond.

The FISU followed the recommendation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), he noted.

Participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at future FISU events, including the 2023 Summer World University Games in China’s Chengdu, will be discussed in February or March 2023, the official added.

Saintrond did not rule out possible boycotts of Belarusian or Russian athletes should they be allowed to compete in the future.

On February 28, four days after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the IOC recommended that athletes and officials from Belarus and Russia should be excluded from international competitions.

Belarusian and Russian athletes were banned from a number of competitions, including the Beijing Paralympics, IIHF World Championship, Davis Cup, and 2023 European Games. They may also miss the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris because of the sanctions imposed for Russia’s attack on Ukraine and Belarus’ role in the military aggression.