Russian athletes should not be allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics, said Zanda Kalnina-Lukashevica (New Unity), vice-president of the Saeima and head of the Latvian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ( PACE).
“We must not be naive and assume that Russian athletes who are allowed to participate in international competitions do not support Russia’s policy towards Ukraine,” the politician told a meeting of the Standing Committee PACE in Riga on Friday 26 May.
As LETA was informed in the press service of the Seimas, Kalnina-Lukashevica noted that exactly the opposite is happening – athletes who openly criticize the Russian war in Ukraine do not receive state support to participate. to competitions.
The vice-president of the Seimas called for an agreement on a firm position to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the Paris Olympics. The politician noted that athletes from many countries would boycott the Olympics if Russia were allowed to participate.
It should also be taken into account that many Ukrainian athletes cannot participate in the Olympics because of the war waged by Russia – many of them are injured, captured or dead, said the head of the Latvian delegation. Kalnina-Lukashevica believes that in such conditions, it would be immoral to see Russian athletes “parading the streets of Paris”.
The head of the Latvian delegation also pointed out that many Russian and Belarusian athletes are members of sports clubs sponsored by individuals and companies against which sanctions are directed, and many also represent military sports clubs.
During the June session, PACE will continue examining the draft declaration on the exclusion of athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in the Olympic Games.
The meeting of the Standing Committee also discussed the restoration of Ukraine in order to prevent the consequences of the war of Russian aggression. Kalnina-Lukashevica during a meeting with the President of the Council of Europe Development Bank, Carlo Monticelli, pointed out that Latvia’s support for Ukraine exceeds 1% of the country’s GDP.
Among other things, funds are allocated for the reconstruction of the Chernihiv region.
On Friday, a meeting of the PACE Standing Committee was held in Riga, attended by parliamentarians from 46 member countries of the Council, the Saeima said.
The Summer Olympics will be held in Paris in 2024.
Source: delfi
