Фото: worldathletics.org
World Athletics, the international athletics federation, has rejected a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee to lift the ban on Belarusian athletes and teams competing under the national flag, BBC Sport reported.
On Thursday, the IOC Executive Board called on international sports federations and competition organizers to allow Belarus to return to international competitions, while maintaining restrictions against Russia. The IOC justified its position by saying that the National Olympic Committee of Belarus “is in good standing and complies with the Olympic Charter,” and that Belarusian athletes have competed in major events as neutral athletes since 2023 without any incidents.
World Athletics, however, took a different position.
“In connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, World Athletics sanctions introduced in March 2022, excluding Belarusian and Russian athletes, officials, and support personnel from competitions, remain in force. Our council made a clear decision that when there is genuine progress toward peace negotiations, it can begin reviewing its decisions. We all hope that this will happen soon, but until then the council remains unanimously supportive of the decision taken in March 2022 and reviewed in 2023 and 2025,” a federation representative said.
It should be noted that the National Olympic Committee of Belarus welcomed the IOC Executive Board’s decision and expressed hope that it would serve as guidance for international sports federations.