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European Athletics keeps in force sanctions against athletes from Russia, Belarus

According to the EAA statement, athletes from Russia and Belarus should remain banned from European Athletics events and activities" until Russia’s special operation in Ukraine is over

MOSCOW, March 15. /TASS/. The Council of the European Athletic Federation (EAA) has reaffirmed its decision to keep Russian and Belarusian athletes barred from international track and field tournaments, the organization’s press office said in a statement on Wednesday.

"European Athletics Council met in Lausanne on Wednesday (15), with preparations for the 2023 European Athletics Congress next month the principle items on the agenda, and used the occasion to reaffirm European Athletics' current position that athletes from Russia and Belarus should remain banned from European Athletics events and activities" until Russia’s special operation in Ukraine is over," the statement reads.

"European Athletics continues to strongly endorse the position outlined initially in the European Athletics statement of 1 March 2022 that ‘all athletes, support personnel and other officials from Russia and from Belarus will be excluded from participating at any European Athletics’ events for the foreseeable future with immediate effect’," the statement added.

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

On March 1, 2022, World Athletics, formerly known as the International Association of Athletics Federations, announced a decision to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from all competitions over the ongoing developments in Ukraine.

At its session on January 25, the IOC Executive Board put forward a proposal to allow individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports tournaments, but only under certain conditions. Athletes from the countries in question should not be "actively supporting" Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status.

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