An official letter calls for stricter measures and a review of the European Union’s financial and political support to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other international sports organizations, in response to their decisions to reinstate athletes from aggressor countries in international sports competitions.
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This proposal was prepared by Estonia, and Latvia, Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Romania, Finland, and Denmark also joined it.
The initiative aims to ensure that EU values and sanctions policy are reflected in all international sports structures, and that financial support is not granted to organizations that show leniency towards aggressors.
The appeal requests the removal of the IOC and other sports organizations, such as the International Fencing Federation, the International Swimming Federation “World Aquatics,” and the International Gymnastics Federation, from EU funding programs (including the “Erasmus+” program).
It is also proposed to restrict the participation of these organizations in EU forums and events, including the EU Sports Forum.
The letter notes that although EU member states and other countries, as well as the Council of Europe, have urged to prevent representatives of Russia and Belarus from participating in international competitions while the war against Ukraine continues, the IOC and some sports federations have chosen a different path.
EU countries emphasize that Ukrainian athletes cannot train on equal terms due to the war, so claims about separating sports from politics are meaningless when the regimes of Russia and Belarus continue to use sports for their political goals.
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The full text of the appeal can be found
