WARSAW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th April, 2023) Poland is bringing together a coalition of 36 countries to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international tournaments, the Polish Minister of Sports and Tourism, Kamil Bortniczuk, said on the RMF FM radio station.
"We are in the process of formulating the position of 36 states, and we plan to adopt the declaration, which will very plainly and clearly protest against the return of Russians and Belarusians to international arenas, at the meeting of the Council of the European Union on May 15," Bortniczuk said.
In February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that international sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in competitions after Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine.
In March 2023, the IOC issued a recommendation for international sports federations to allow Russian athletes compete with neutral status, provided that they do not support Russia's special military operation in Ukraine and are not contracted to the Russian military or national security agencies. Teams under Russian or Belarusian flags will not be allowed. Several international sports federations, including World Taekwondo and United World Wrestling (UWW), greenlighted neutral Russian athletes, while others flagged plans to follow suit.
