Five Scandinavian countries demand that the IOC not return athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete

The National Olympic and Paralympic Committees of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway have sent a statement to the IOC asking it not to allow Russian athletes to participate in international competitions.

This is stated in a joint statement by the NOCs of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway.

“The situation in Ukraine has not changed. Therefore, we stand firm in our position to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from participating in international sports. Now is not the time to think about their return. This is our position,” the statement reads.

Also, the Nordic Olympic and Paralympic Committees and Confederations of sports expressed their steadfast support once again with the Ukrainian people and the demand for peace.

The statement was sent to the International Olympic Committee, the European Olympic Committees, the International Paralympic Committee, the European Paralympic Committees, and the Association of National Olympic Committees.

Yesterday we reported that Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo opposed the participation of Russian athletes in the 2024 Olympics in the French capital. Hidalgo stated that she was “not in favor” of allowing Russians to participate as neutrals or under an Olympic Games flag.

Earlier, on February 2, the Ministers of Sports of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland opposed the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympic Games in 2024 and 2026.

We wrote in our extensive analytical review why the IOC is hiding behind statements of apolitical and neutrality and what is wrong with the IOC.