Ministry of Sports: Sanctions against Belarusian sports do not stand up to legal scrutiny

A number of international sports federations are completely inconsistent in their actions, but from a legal perspective, any isolation based on nationality is pure discrimination. Mikhail Prokopenko, head of the Ministry of Sports' National Teams Department, told First Information.

The dialogue with athletics, hockey, and biathlon is particularly complex. However, World Athletics CEO Sebastian Coe will soon have to reinstate Belarusians to the "Queen of Sports" calendar.

Mikhail Prokopenko, Head of the National Teams Department of the Belarusian Ministry of Sport:

"All the sanctions and restrictions imposed on Belarusian sports are legally unjustifiable. Both procedural matters and, most importantly, the Olympic Charter were violated. Therefore, with independent, impartial refereeing—though whether such a thing exists is debatable—the right work is being done and it will yield results."

It's worth noting that the 2027 European Games will be held in Turkey, and a year later, the Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles. We have a good chance of sending a complete Belarusian delegation to both multi-sport events.