Latvia and other countries should jointly oppose the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to let Russian and Belarusian athletes compete in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games under a neutral flag, said Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa in an interview to LTV programme Rīta panorāma.
She said she is disappointed with IOC’s decision, adding that this puts Latvian athletes in a tense situation. “I don’t think they should have made that choice. I would have hoped that international organisations themselves would be able to make such choices on their own,” said the Latvian PM.
The head of the government said consultations about this unpleasant decision from IOC have commenced with Scandinavian countries, Poland and Ukraine.
The more countries take up a shared position on this, the stronger the message for IOC will be, says Siliņa.
The Latvian PM did not say when Latvia and other countries could take action. Nevertheless, she said she hopes IOC changes its decision after noticing opposition from many countries.
On Friday, the 8th of December, IOC permitted Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games under a neutral flag.
Also read: LOK Secretary General on Paris Olympics: it’s too early to throw around the word boycott
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