Dissident athletes’ group to check neutrality of Belarus’ Olympians
June 3, Pozirk. Starting June 4, the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation (BSSF) will launch verification procedures to check whether Belarusian athletes, who have qualified for the 2024 Olympics, meet the neutrality criteria.
The check will focus on the athletes’ links to law enforcement agencies and their online activities that could show support for Russia’s war on Ukraine or other armed conflicts, the BSSF said.
Global Athletes (Canada), Athletes for Ukraine (Ukraine) and Open Society Foundation (USA) will assist BSSF in the verification process which will last until August 15.
Belarusian athletes won at least 30 Olympic qualifications as of late May, according to the National Olympic Committee.
When the war in Ukraine began in February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) urged sports federations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from all competitions.
It later 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.
The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11.
Also read: Belarusian athletes awarded 27 Paris Olympics qualification places
- Politics
- PoliticsReprisals: rights activist given seven years in prisonThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsCzechia offers treatment, rehabilitation for Belarusian volunteer fighters in UkraineThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsPolish judge who defected to Belarus gets political asylum in BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, Security
- Politics, SecurityAt least 20 servicemen in detention – rights activistsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsFive pardoned prisoners namedThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsJournalist Ihar Iljaš declared political prisonerThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsŁukašenka defends propaganda, threatens information warfareThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsOpposition leader visiting Canada, to address NATO PAThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Society
- PoliticsŁukašenka boasts that he personally authorizes internet shutdownsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
- Elections, Politics
- PoliticsUS think tank: Russia to control Tor-M2 missile systems in BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Elections, PoliticsŁukašenka’s supporter says he collected 100,000 ballot-access signatures for presidential raceThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsReprisals: exiled former Kanapackaja’s associate given prison termThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyPublic sector employees to take on their laid-off colleagues' responsibilities for extra payThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyEconomist plays down fears of rubel collapseThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsŁukašenka goes to Pakistan next weekThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Elections, Politics, Security
- Economy, PoliticsPolish trade unionists protest against fertilizer imports from BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- Politics, SocietyInformation minister concerned about influx of subversive books from RussiaThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Security
- PoliticsHrodna court sentences exiled activist to six years in prisonThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsViasna: new political prisoners outnumber those pardonedThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Elections, PoliticsOfficial: 1.5 million ballot-access signatures collected for Łukašenka in two weeksThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
- PoliticsExiled soccer executive among those stripped of rankThe material is available only to POZIRK+