Athletes from Russia and Belarus should be denied visa to Germany so that they cannot take part in international competitions held in the country, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Friday
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th May, 2023) Athletes from Russia and Belarus should be denied visa to Germany so that they cannot take part in international competitions held in the country, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Friday.
"If the Foreign Ministry agrees with me on this position, we will deny Russian and Belarusian athletes visas for the entry to Germany," Faeser was quoted by Die Welt newspaper as saying at a conference of sports ministers of the German Federal states.
The minister claimed the move was necessary to prevent Russia from using sports events as an "arena for its propaganda."
During the conference, the ministers unanimously opposed recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals, Die Welt reported.
On March 26, the IOC issued a recommendation for international sports federations to allow athletes from Russia to take part in competitions as neutrals, provided that they do not support Russia's ongoing military operation in Ukraine and are not contracted to the Russian military or national security agencies.
