Latvia considers boycotting the Olympics if Russia participates

Latvia is considering boycotting next year’s Paris Olympics if athletes from Russia and its partner Belarus are allowed to compete following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Several governments in Europe, including Latvia, have condemned the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) attempt to sanction athletes from Russia and Belarus, and Ukraine has threatened to boycott the Games. The National Olympic Committees, however, have kept quiet about sending their teams.

“If the Olympic Games are held now and players from Russia and Belarus can participate in the Olympic Games, the Latvian team will not compete,” Latvian Olympic Committee President Georgs Tickmars said on public television on Monday. from Latvia. he did not react to this. Tickmars himself was a silver medalist in rowing for the Soviet Union at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Many countries, including the US, boycotted the Games in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Latvia, which shares a border with Russia, gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and supports Ukraine. The Latvian team is the defending Olympic champion in men’s basketball ‘3 on three’. The team defeated the Russian team in the gold medal match at the Tokyo 2021 Games.

Disclaimer:Prabhasakshi has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.