For athletes of Russia and Belarus, starting under a neutral flag is not the right solution at a time when there is a war in Ukraine, Latvian champion in road cycling group race Emīls Liepiņš emphasizes in a public statement.
The initial intention of the Ministry of Education and Science of Latvia (IZM) was to include in the contracts on the allocation of funds from the state sports budget a condition that the funds from the state budget cannot be directed to those athletes and sports workers who participate in sports competitions in which athletes from Russia or Belarus also participate – regardless of status, including neutral, and the rules and decisions of international sports federations. Taking into account this plan, representatives of several sports, including professional cyclists, would not be able to apply for state budget funds.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of the Interior urged that Latvian individual athletes, when deciding whether to participate in commercial competitions in which athletes from Russia and Belarus are participating at the same time as Ukrainian athletes, should take into account the position of the organizations responsible for sports in Ukraine in this situation.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) allows athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under a neutral flag in their supervised professional cycling competitions, but Ukraine has not banned its athletes from participating in these matches.
Liepiņš states in a statement published on the social website “Facebook” that he strongly opposes the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international road cycling competitions, including the Olympic Games, World and European Championships.
“I believe that hiding under the white flag is not a solution for the athletes of the aggressor countries at a time when civilians, including athletes, are being murdered in Ukraine and the infrastructure is suffering. We ask Latvia not to prevent us from showing solidarity with Ukrainian athletes by competing together in team formations in UCI level cycling races,” the athlete’s statement reads
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in January that it is calling for research into ways for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to international competition. This announcement was condemned not only by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and other officials, but also by several sports federations.
The Latvian Olympic Committee (IOC), responding to the IOC’s invitation, announced that its position was, is and will be unchanged and principled – while the war in Ukraine is going on, the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in the Olympic Games under any flag is inadmissible.
- Published: 14.02.2023 18:30
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