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The IOC executive council decided not to recognize a change in leadership in the Belarusian National Olympic Committee (NOC) on February 26, when President Alexander Lukashenko handed over the committee’s helm to his son, Viktor Lukashenko, a former vice president of the organization. .
Lukashenko, as well as Dzmitry Baskav, a member of the NOK Executive Board, will therefore remain unable to participate in “all IOC events and activities, including the Olympic Games.” These measures were taken in early December in response to the NOC’s agreement with the athletes due to their political views.
On Monday, the IOC expressed “great disappointment” that the NOK had not solved the main problem: “the previous leadership did not adequately protect Belarusian athletes from political discrimination in the NOK, in the federations of which they are members or in the sports movement.. “
In December, the IOC also froze its funding to the NOK, “with the exception of payments related to scholarships for athletes and the preparation of the Belarusian team and their participation in the Olympics.”
The Olympic organization also said it would ask all relevant international federations to ensure that all eligible Belarusian athletes can participate in the selection competitions for the upcoming Games in Tokyo and Beijing “without political discrimination”.
Lukashenko’s disputed re-election to a six-year term in August sparked the gravest political crisis in Belarus’ modern history: Protesters took to the streets in droves and authorities began to crack down on the demonstrations. Several prominent Belarusian athletes expressed support for Lukashenko’s critics and demanded an end to the crackdown.
The unrest has also deprived Belarus of the right to host this year’s world hockey championships and other major competitions.
