“Russia and Belarus Excluded from European Games Qualifiers and Paris Olympics due to Ukraine Conflict”

Athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed in any form to participate in the upcoming European Games in Poland this summer. This was reported by the sports portal Inside the Games, which refers to its sources from the European Olympic Committee (EOC).

At the end of January of this year, a spokesman for the EOC said that due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, the return of athletes from Russia and Belarus to competitions under the organization’s auspices was not on the agenda.

In March, however, the International Olympic Committee recommended that Russians and Belarusians be admitted to competitions as neutral athletes, but only in the individual disciplines, while in the team – the sanctions remain.

However, the EOC does not intend to comply with this recommendation and will not change its position stated after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The boxing tournament at the European Games, which will be held from June 21 to July 2, will serve as a qualifier for next year’s Paris Olympics.

The World Championship in Uzbekistan, which ended on Sunday, did not have the status of a qualifier, as the IOC has had objections to the work of the International Boxing Association for years, and in addition, in the fall of last year, the IBA decided to restore the rights of boxers from Russia and Belarus.

Recently, the IOC allowed both countries to participate in the Paralympics. But the big question still remains open – whether Russia and Belarus will be able to send their athletes to the Games in Paris next year.