At the ‘Education, Youth, Culture and Sport’ Council (EYCS) on Monday 15 May, Lithuania wished to raise the issue of the protection of Ukrainian athletes during sports events held in the European Union. In the delegation’s sights: the possible exclusion of Russian athletes, including from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“Many of these athletes represent Russian military sports clubs”, said Deputy Minister of Sport Linas Obcarskas, urging his European counterparts to send a clear message: “These athletes and their staff are not welcome at international sporting events in the EU”.
Present at the debate, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Andriy Chesnokov, criticised the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international sports competitions on the condition that they do so under a neutral banner.
However, the IOC has not yet decided on their participation in the 2024 Games. “We will not accept the participation of athletes close to the Russian or Belarusian military”, said French Minister of Sport Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, “and we urge the IOC to go further in its recommendations on neutrality to ensure its viability”.
On 4 May, 36 countries signed a declaration calling on the IOC to ensure that its recommendations on neutrality are effectively implemented and that sporting events cannot be used to defend the Russian war of aggression (https://aeur.eu/f/6w2 ).
The only EU Member States that did not join this appeal were Hungary, Malta and Romania. During the discussion in the Council, Hungary argued that “sport has to be open to all” and that it can “pave the way for dialogue”. (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)