Baltic and Polish sport ministers: sport must not become a cover for war crimes

Minister of Education, Science and Sport Jurgita Šiugždinienė, together with the ministers responsible for sport affairs in the Baltic States and Poland, has appealed to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other international sport organisations requesting to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions.

The minister stresses that sport must not be allowed to become a cover for those who contribute to war crimes.
“We have initiated a joint appeal by the Baltic ministers responsible for sport. The Polish sport minister has also joined in. We agreed on a joint appeal demanding that the international sports federations, as well as the [International – ELTA] Olympic Committee, refuse to admit Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions, to qualifying competitions,” Minister Šiugždinienė told reporters on Thursday.