The Polish Swimming Federation stated that as long as the war against Ukraine continues, representatives of Russia and Belarus should not participate in any international tournaments. However, Poland will not boycott other competitions featuring Russian or Belarusian athletes to avoid damaging the careers of its own athletes, according to the federation. The decision comes as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Aquatics move to reintegrate Russian and Belarusian athletes.
World Aquatics lifted neutrality restrictions to allow swimmers from Russia and Belarus to compete under their national flags. The IOC issued recommendations for International Federations on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport, and suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in October 2023 for breaching the Olympic Charter. The sports ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland published a joint statement opposing the IOC's efforts to restore participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral flag.
I was surprised by yesterday's statement from the UEFA Executive Committee. If Russian national teams are allowed to participate in the competition, our national teams will not compete with them. This is the only right decision.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Poland and the Baltic countries for their principled position. In contrast, the United States backs allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete as neutrals with no display of national flags or emblems, according to White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre. In football, UEFA decided to allow the return of Russian youth teams (U-17) to its competitions.
The Ukrainian Association of Football confirmed it will not take part in any competitions involving Russian teams. Poland's Football Association president Cezary Kulesza stated that Polish national teams will not compete with Russian teams if they are allowed to participate. England's Football Association also stated that English teams will not play against Russia.
We must ensure justice and accountability by bringing to justice the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Given the autonomy of the sports movement, we call on all international sports bodies to adopt this firm approach. Since the decision taken by the IOC Executive Board on February 28, 2022, the circumstances have not changed.
A group of more than 100 European Union lawmakers is urging UEFA to ban Belarus from qualifying for the 2024 European Championship. Separately, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ordered the Russian Chess Federation to cease all operations in occupied Ukrainian territories.