Polish Foreign Ministry: This Is No Time To Consider Belarus Back To Olympics

However, the Russian Federation and Belarus have a way to return back to the international sports community.

The Polish Foreign Ministry believes that there is no time to consider Belarusian and Russian athletes back to the Olympic Games. The ministry released a statement ahead of the March 28-30 IOC Executive Board Meeting. It is planned to discuss the issue of the participation of athletes from Belarus and Russia in the Olympics.

“We took note of the concerns raised by the UN Special Rapporteurs on the issue of nondiscrimination based solely on the nationality of athletes. We regret that the IOC used these concerns as a pretext to reverse radically its previous well-argued stance on the recommendation not to invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions,” the statement reads.

The statement emphasizes that it is the athlete's support for the aggressive regime waging war against Ukraine that is of paramount importance in banning participation, and not the athlete's identity documents.

“We wish to stress that it is not athletes’ nationality that determines their role, but the fact that they are sponsored/supported by their governments or businesses backing up the Kremlin regime, which continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, or even that they are affiliated with the Russian military directly. We deem it necessary to remind that, day by day, the Russian military keeps attacking Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure including sports facilities and killing Ukrainians including Ukrainian athletes. Millions of Ukrainian citizens including athletes and their families were forced to leave their homes in the face of Russia’s occupation.,” the Foreign Ministry says.

As a result, there is no reason to move away from the exclusion regime for Russian and Belarusian athletes, and even to consider the issue of their return.

“There exists not a single reason to move away from the exclusion regime for Russian and Belarusian athletes set by the IOC more than a year ago, immediately after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We strongly believe that now is not the time to consider the opening up of a pathway for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to the Olympic Games in any status,” the statement reads.

It also urges the IOC to remain in its position of suspending athletes.

“We remind that Russia and Belarus have at their disposal a way forward for their athletes to return to the international sports community, namely ending the war of aggression launched by Russia with the complicity of Belarus and restoring respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders,” the MFA recalls.