RIGA, Latvia — Latvia has threatened to boycott subsequent yr’s Paris Olympics if Russian athletes are allowed to participate through the battle in Ukraine and is looking on different international locations to kind a coalition to stress worldwide sports activities our bodies.
The Latvian Olympic Committee is the primary nationwide Olympic physique apart from Ukraine which has threatened to boycott somewhat than compete in opposition to Russia.
It marks a uncommon problem from throughout the sports activities world to the Worldwide Olympic Committee, which desires to let opponents from Russia and its ally Belarus participate as “impartial athletes”. The nationwide Olympic committees who ship the groups have largely stayed quiet or backed the IOC, at the same time as politicians in lots of European international locations have mentioned Russia shouldn’t return to competitors.
“For so long as there may be an ongoing battle in Ukraine, participation of the Russian and Belarusian athletes within the Olympic Video games beneath any flag is unacceptable,” Latvian Nationwide Olympic Committee president Zorzs Tikmers mentioned in a press release Wednesday.
A boycott might begin quickly. Tikmers mentioned Monday that Latvia would ship not a crew to the Paris Olympics in the event that they had been to happen proper now with Russian or Belarusian involvement. He broadened that place Wednesday by saying Latvia ought to boycott Olympic qualifying competitions, that are already beneath method in some sports activities, if Russians or Belarusians are allowed in.
“NOC Latvia deems unacceptable for Latvian groups and particular person athletes to take part in such worldwide sports activities competitions that haven’t expelled Russian and Belarusian athletes from the participation, together with the Olympic {qualifications} competitions,” he mentioned.
Latvia referred to as on worldwide sports activities our bodies and international locations together with Britain, France and Canada to talk out in opposition to Russia’s involvement and cease Russia and Belarus from gaining “gentle energy” by means of sports activities.
There was no speedy response from the IOC.
Tikmers was himself a silver medalist in rowing for the Soviet Union on the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which quite a few international locations together with america boycotted in protest after Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan.
Latvia, which borders Russia and regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, has been a robust supporter of Ukraine. Latvia is the defending Olympic champion in males’s 3-on-3 basketball after beating the Russian crew within the gold-medal sport in Tokyo in 2021.
Ukraine is steadfastly against letting Russians compete. Any impartial flag for Russia could be “stained with blood,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned final week. The Ukrainian Nationwide Olympic Committee has threatened to boycott and is because of maintain talks Friday on the difficulty. Ukraine boycotted some sports activities competitions, together with Olympic judo qualifiers, final yr when Russians competed.
Different nationwide Olympic sports activities our bodies, together with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, again the IOC efforts to discover a path for Russians to compete. The IOC is pushing sports activities federations to permit any Russians or Belarusians who haven’t been “actively supporting the battle in Ukraine” and argues it might be discriminatory to ban athletes primarily based on their citizenship alone.
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