Latvia’s Minister of Education and Science, Dace Melbārde (New Unity), has signed a joint statement together with 33 like-minded countries and the European Commission, expressing concern over the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) decision to lift partial sanctions on Russian and Belarusian Paralympians, the ministry reports.
The countries state that such a decision contradicts the fundamental principles of the Olympic and Paralympic movement, as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine continues. Latvia and the other signatories stress that aggressor states — Russia and its supporter Belarus — should not be participating in international sports competitions.
Latvia and the other countries fully support the International Olympic Committee’s decision to maintain the ban on Russian and Belarusian representation at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games and
call on other sports organisations to uphold the same position.
The statement is signed by Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission.
At the end of September, the IPC decided to lift the partial disqualification imposed on Russian and Belarusian athletes following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The decision opens the way for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags at the 2026 Milan–Cortina Paralympic Games.
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