Netherlands joins call to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from next Olympics

The Netherlands and the governments of over 30 other countries, including Great Britain, France, and the United States, signed a joint letter calling for banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sporting events like the Olympic games.

The countries asked the International Olympic Committee for clarification on why precisely the IOC thinks athletes from Russia and Belarus should participate in the Paris Games in 2024. Athletes from those two countries are barred from most other international sporting events due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the support the Russian army receives from Belarus.

The IOC said earlier that it was investigating how Russian and Belarusian athletes could participate in the Paris Games under a neutral flag. That got a furious reaction from Ukraine, which announced that it would likely boycott the Olympic Games in that case.

In the letter, the signatories point out the close ties and preferences between Russian athletes and the Russian military, according to the French news agency AFP. “We have serious concerns about how reasonable it is for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag if they are paid and supported directly by their governments,” they write. They want the IOC to address these concerns.

Sports Minister Conny Helder informed parliament on February 10 that the Dutch Cabinet wants Russian and Belarusian athletes banned from international sports tournaments like the Olympic Games. A parliamentary majority had called for this step.

Anne Hildago, the mayor of Paris, also spoke out against a Russian delegation in her city in 2024.