Governments of more than thirty countries, including the Netherlands, again pleaded in a joint letter on Monday for the banning of athletes from Russia and Belarus at international sporting events such as the Olympic Games.
The countries have asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for clarification on how the organization thinks that athletes from Russia and Belarus can participate in the Paris Games in 2024. France, Great Britain and the United States, among others, have also signed the statement.
Athletes from the two countries are currently banned from most international sporting events due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the support the Russian military received from Belarus.
The IOC said earlier that it was investigating the possibilities of how athletes from Russia and Belarus could participate in the Paris Games under a neutral flag. This led to a furious reaction from Ukraine, which announced that it might boycott the Games in that case.
‘Close ties between Russian athletes and the military’
In the letter, the signatories “note the close ties and affiliations between Russian athletes and the Russian military”. “We have serious concerns about how reasonable it is for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag if they are paid and supported directly by their governments,” the statement said.
Sports Minister Conny Helder had already informed the House of Representatives on 10 February that, as far as the cabinet is concerned, athletes from Russia and Belarus should be banned from international sports tournaments such as the Games.
In doing so, the government also complied with the wishes of the House. Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, had also spoken out against the arrival of a Russian delegation in her city in 2024.
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