Baltic Leaders: Olympic Boycott Possible If Russians Compete
February 3, 2023 9:34AM PST
The Olympic Rings are displayed at the entrance of the IOC, International Olympic Committee headquarters during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Lausanne, Switzerland, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – The prime ministers of the three Baltic countries have urged the International Olympic Committee to ban Russian athletes from next year’s Paris Games because of the war in Ukraine and say a boycott is a possibility.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas says they should try to convince others “that the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes is just wrong.”
She says “boycotting is the next step.”
Latvian counterpart Arturs Krisjanis Karins called it “morally reprehensible” to allow Russians to compete at the Olympics.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania border Russia and gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
They have been strong supporters of Ukraine in the war.
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