The Latvian Olympic Committee (LOK) has made the decision to resume state funding for three Latvian athletes who had been deprived of funding due to their refusal to boycott competitions involving Russian and Belarusian athletes, Latvian Education Minister Anda Caksa said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2023) The Latvian Olympic Committee (LOK) has made the decision to resume state funding for three Latvian athletes who had been deprived of funding due to their refusal to boycott competitions involving Russian and Belarusian athletes, Latvian education Minister Anda Caksa said on Wednesday.
The LOK suspended funding for tennis player Jelena Ostapenko and racing cyclists Toms Skujins and Krists Neilands last week.
"Assessing the circumstances related to the withholding of financial assistance to the athletes of the Latvian Olympic team Jelena Ostapenko, Toms Skujins and Krists Neilands, as well as taking into account the opinions of the Latvian Cycling Federation and the Latvian Tennis Union, the Ministry of Education and Science, in cooperation with the Latvian Olympic Committee, prepared amendments to the agreement on the state financial support for the athletes of the Latvian Olympic team. Today's amendments will prevent the withholding of benefits for the mentioned athletes and will ensure funding in full," Caksa said, as quoted by Sportacentrs.
According to the LOK's announcement on Twitter, Ostapenko is owed 1,700 Euros ($1,800) for last month, Skujins is owed 300 euros and Neilands 200 euros.
Ostapenko, 25, won the 2017 French Open singles title and is currently 25th in the WTA rankings.
Russian and Belarusian tennis players are allowed to participate in Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tournaments as neutral athletes in all countries except the United Kingdom. Cyclists from Russia can also compete under the aegis of the International Cycling Union (UCI) under a neutral flag.
