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On 27 June 2023, the members of the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly adopted the Statement regarding the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sports.
"We, the members of the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly, continuously appalled by war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the regimes of Russia and Belarus,
express our firm belief that Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials must remain fully excluded from international sports, including the 2024 Summer Olympics;
emphasize the moral obligation of democratic countries and institutions to support the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from all international sports irrespective of the nature or form of participation;
strongly condemn any attempts to allow Russian and Belarusian regimes to use sports as means of expanding their influence and normalising war crimes committed in Ukraine;
remind that in addition to continuous pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm caused by the actions of Russian and Belarusian regimes many athletes from Ukraine are defending their country and cannot take part in sports events;
reiterate the importance of the Member States of the European Union and NATO to continue supporting Ukraine in every possible way to ensure the rapid victory of Ukraine thus protecting Ukrainians from even more suffering and destruction."
