A group of 35 countries agreed to demand from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) the suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes from

the 2024 Olympic Games

in Paris.

This was announced by the Minister of Sports of Lithuania Jurgita Syugzdiniene.

On Friday, February 10, an online meeting of 35 countries took place, which was attended by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

All participants unanimously supported the decision to appeal to the IOC regarding the exclusion of athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus to the 2024 Olympics.

Among those who advocate a complete ban on the participation of athletes from aggressor countries in the 2024 Olympics are the USA, Great Britain, Germany, France, Poland, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Japan, as well as the Baltic and Scandinavian countries.

"We propose not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in any international competitions, including the Olympic Games, as long as the war in Ukraine continues. Our position as politicians in the field of sports must be strong and united, we cannot allow this to be used. Pressure to Russia and Belarus is very important," the official website of the Ministry of Sports of Lithuania quotes Syugzdiniene as saying.

Earlier, the IOC announced that the final decision regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the 2024 Olympic Games 

has not yet been made

.

As a reminder, Ukraine 

may boycott the 2024 Olympics

if athletes from Russia and Belarus are admitted to the competition.

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