Prime Minister of Estonia: “To allow Russians and Belarusians to the Olympics is hypocritical and spineless”
Kaya Kallas said that the victories of Russian athletes are used as evidence of the illusory boycott of the country by the West
Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on Facebook (owned by Meta Platforms, the Tver Court of Moscow recognized the company as extremist and banned its activities) that allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions, including the Olympics, is “hypocritical and spineless.”
“Every sporting event and every victory involving Russian athletes is used by Russian propaganda to show its citizens that Russia is still respected and welcomed in the West. This is presented as proof that the talk of some kind of boycott of Russia is actually just an illusion created by some Russophobic Western politicians,” Kallas wrote.
The Estonian prime minister said she sees “no room for compromise on this issue” until the end of the special operation in Ukraine, and called on the governments and parliaments of other countries “to support the complete isolation of Russian and Belarusian athletes.”
IOC January 25 informed about the possibility of admission to international competitions of those Russians and Belarusians who did not actively support the special operation and did not violate the anti-doping code. the IOC also supported the proposal of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to allow representatives of the two countries to participate in Asian tournaments.
President of the Russian Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdnyakov named IOC statement “an attempt to take a step in the direction of the athletes, but at the same time also two steps in the opposite direction.”
Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov declared “RBC Sport” that in the IOC’s wording “too much politics.”
Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, head of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the country Vadym Gutzeit admitted boycott the Paris Games if Russians and Belarusians are allowed to attend.
IOC head Thomas Bach saidthat the organization knows the point of view of Ukraine, “which not only wants to isolate Russia as a state, but also wants to completely isolate all Russians.”