Joint meeting of the Commissions of athletes of Belarus and Russia in Moscow

The Russian Olympic Committee hosted a joint extended meeting of the Commissions of athletes of the NOC of Belarus and the ROC with the participation of Belarusian and Russian athletes.



The plenary session was addressed by the President of the NOC of Belarus Viktor Lukashenko, the head of the ROC Stanislav Pozdnyakov, representatives of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation and the Commission of Athletes of the two countries Alexander Bogdanovich and Yuri Borzakovsky.



The president of the NOC of Belarus, in communication with the media after the plenary session, noted that athletes themselves can decide in what status they participate in the Olympic Games.

- Invitations to the Games in Paris have not yet been received. If there is such a document, then the requirements for athletes are also possible. Do we have the right, sports officials, to forbid to go or not to go? I think not. Every athlete dreams of going to the Olympics and winning there! Athletes will make their own decision after studying all the conditions.

The head of the NOC also added that the dialogue with the IOC is still being conducted at a fairly serious level.

– The IOC is now in a difficult situation, in a zone of uncertainty, they themselves do not know what to do next. But they themselves have led to such a situation that they do not understand how to go further, – Viktor Lukashenko said.

He stressed that serious efforts are being made to lift sanctions against our athletes.

– Sanctions and restrictions are certainly unpleasant. And when they are biased and unfounded, it is very unfair. I would like to note that temporary restrictions have been imposed on the NOC of Belarus starting from the end of 2020. We are in contact with the International Olympic Committee, we are in dialogue with international sports federations so that these restrictions are lifted. Believe me, dear athletes, serious efforts are being made.

The organizers have also provided for the work of round tables organized in the format of discussion groups, where topics of interest to both active athletes and those who have completed or are completing their sports careers will be discussed.

Within the framework of the working events, several discussion platforms were organized, participants were able to choose the topics they were interested in.





Based on the results of the discussion in each discussion group, working documents were prepared on the areas of activity for the ROC Athletes' Commission with suggestions and wishes from the participants.