Sports
Nine European countries, led by Estonia, have called on the European Union to stop funding the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This was in response to the lifting of sanctions against Russian athletes.
RBC-Ukraine reported this, citing the official website of the Estonian Ministry of Culture.
Estonia initiated the appeal, and eight other partner countries quickly joined in. The document was signed by the Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Sweden, Romania, Finland, and Denmark.
Together, these countries are demanding that three major sports organizations be excluded from European funding programs, including the popular Erasmus+ program:
- the International Olympic Committee (IOC);
- the International Fencing Federation (FIE);
- World Aquatics (International Swimming Federation).
All of these organizations have made controversial decisions to lift restrictions on athletes from Russia and Belarus, allowing them to return to competition.
The official position of European countries
The signatories are convinced that the actions of sports officials undermine European values and support Russian propaganda amid the ongoing war.
“Given the current security situation, it is impossible to understand decisions that seek to bring aggressor states back into international sports as if nothing had happened,” said Estonian Minister of Culture Heidi Purga.
