Poland has taken a serious step to prevent Russia and Belarus from attending international tournaments

Polish Sports Minister Kamil Bortniczuk said that his country is in the process of forming a coalition of 36 countries that firmly oppose the admission of Russia and Belarus to international tournaments. The Polish official also confirmed that no athletes from Russia or Belarus will be at the European Games in Krakow.

"On May 15, we have the EU Council on Sport, where we plan to adopt a declaration that will very clearly and transparently oppose the return of Russians and Belarusians to the international arena," Bortniczuk told RMF FM.

Recently, Poland lodged a protest with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) against the admission of Russians and Belarusians (in certain sports under a neutral flag) to the qualifying competitions for next year's Games in Paris.

According to Bortniczuk, they have not yet received a response from the IOC. He noted that the conditions set by the IOC are also not acceptable to representatives of Moscow and Minsk. First of all, it is a requirement that there should be no links between athletes and the Russian army.

"There are competitions where almost one hundred per cent of the Russian personnel are formally members of the Russian army," the minister said.

Kamil Bortniczuk assured us that Poland has no plans to boycott the Olympics. Nothing has changed in this position.

As for the European Games, the minister did not rule out the possibility of Russians and Belarusians participating, but with one condition. They will have to issue a statement condemning the war in Ukraine and the crimes committed by the Russian army there.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, the first information from the Poles about the creation of a new coalition appeared in the press in early February.

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