{"id":84829,"date":"2024-05-11T23:01:04","date_gmt":"2024-05-11T20:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/84829\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"latuska-promises-to-stand-up-for-dissident-athletes-ahead-of-olympics","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/84829\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0141atu\u0161ka pledges to stand up for dissident athletes ahead of Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (Screengrab from live stream)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

May 11, Pozirk<\/em>. <\/strong>Belarusian pro-democracy forces will keep defending the interests of dissident athletes at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Pavie\u0142 \u0141atu\u0161ka of the opposition transition cabinet has said during a TikTok live stream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian authorities dismissed more than 2,000 athletes who spoke out against violence and rigged election in 2020, the politician said. Many of them were forced to flee Belarus, fearing politically-motivated persecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dissident athletes suffer both from Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s reprisals and sanctions, imposed on Belarus for the support of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine in 2022 that affected all Belarusian athletes regardless of their political stance, \u0141atu\u0161ka said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Athletes who oppose violence and war should be able to compete at the Olympics and other international tournaments, he stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the war in Ukraine began in February 2022, the IOC urged sports federations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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