We, the presidents of the National Olympic Committees of the three Baltic Countries, declare that as long as the brutal war by Russia and its ally Belarus continues against the independent state of Ukraine and its people, Russian and Belarusian athletes and sports-related persons have no place in the international sports movement.
Olympic sport is a powerful tool and is guided by strong values: excellence, respect, and friendship. However, in a specific case, the proposed solutions by governing sports bodies are not acceptable to all athletes, because they face an unpleasant choice and an ethical dilemma to compete or not with athletes from aggressor countries.
We acknowledge the decision of some International Sports Federations not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at any level of competitions.
Statement from the Baltic Olympic committees: Russia and Belarus have no place in the sports family
The presidents of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Olympic Committees who met in Vilnius continue to condemn the Russian Federation's military aggression, terrorism and mercilessly brutal violence on the territory of Ukraine. Military situation There has been no change in the territory of Ukraine since February 24, 2022.