Brussels, 16/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 12 September, MEPs asked “the International Ice Hockey Federation to seriously reconsider its decision to allow Belarus to host the 2014 Ice Hockey World Championship”, by adopting the ALDE Group's amendment on the issue in its European Parliament recommendations on Belarus (see EUROPE 10921). “We strongly urge the International Hockey Association, which will be holding its semi-annual congress in Portugal next week, to communicate openly and transparently on the underlying motivation to choose Belarus and to revise its decision”, said Morten Lokkegaard (ALDE, Denmark) in a press release. In the view of Olle Schmidt (ALDE, Sweden), “we should not be allowing Europe's last tyrant to host an international sporting event that will lend legitimacy and prestige to the undemocratic regime”.
During a plenary debate on 11 September, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle said he was opposed to the boycott. “I am not a friend of boycotts - in particular when it comes to sports. But it does not mean that we should not use this event to turn the focus of Europe and the whole world to the situation with human rights in Belarus”, he stated. (CG/transl.fl)