Politicized Sports: Double Standards Exclude Belarus from International Competitions

This week, the Belarus national futsal team achieved a historic milestone by winning their first-ever match at the European Championship, defeating Slovenia. The Euro matches within our group were held in Ljubljana, having been relocated there due to the absurd actions of Latvian officials. Under Latvian legislation, the national team cannot compete against Belarusian players.

This move backfired on the Latvian authorities, as UEFA promptly revoked Riga’s hosting rights for the final match following these disruptive actions.

Belarus’s first victory in the finals of the European Championship came at a moment when their chances of advancing to the knockout stage were nearly lost. The team defeated the hosts, Slovenia, in front of their own fans, and as a result, neither Belarus nor Slovenia advanced to the quarter-finals.

Alexander Chernik, head coach of Belarus’s futsal team, commented:

“I hope that our participation in the Euro drew the attention of fans and the public. All eyes have been on us over the past month. The most exciting part is yet to come.”

Ivan Gorovets, Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Mini-Football Association, added:

“Our performance improved with each game. I believe that if we had been given 2-3 more matches, we would have achieved what we set out to do. Perhaps we lacked a bit—especially in the first game.”

Belarusians, who qualified for the Euro finals after 16 years, grew stronger with every match. They played admirably against Belgium and Spain (the seven-time European champions). Most importantly, the Belarusian team competed under their flag and anthem, with fans in the stands wearing national symbols and apparel.

A few days before the Winter Olympics in Italy, it became clear that any exclusion of Belarusian athletes from international competitions is solely a consequence of corruption within the organizations promoting repression.

However, in some sports, athletes are permitted to compete only under a questionable neutral status—such as the small Belarusian delegation at the Winter Olympics—while in others, participation is outright banned (notably in athletics and biathlon).

In biathlon and athletics—where the leadership is composed of Swede Ole Einar Bjørndalen and Brit Sebastian Coe—athletes have repeatedly taken to the field with blatantly nationalist slogans, even after recent IOC guidelines allowing Belarusian juniors and youth to compete under their flag without intrusive checks. These inconsistencies seem less like double standards and more like triple standards.

Sergei Rutanko, Chairman of the Belarusian Tennis Federation, said:

“Since my days competing in Slovenia, I’ve had good relations with Alexander Cheferin. Besides heading UEFA, he is a lawyer. When tensions escalated, he said: ‘No matter what anyone says, from my perspective, Belarusians are not at fault here.’”

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin was present at the Slovenian national team’s matches. He is the only leader of a European sports federation who, four years ago, did not succumb to the dirty trend of excluding athletes following the Russian example.

Rutanko noted:

“I think what’s lacking is independence. UEFA is a very powerful, primarily financially-driven structure. Perhaps they are less dependent on sponsors than, say, the handball, volleyball, or basketball federations.”

The end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026 brought several developments that are likely to steer sports back onto a rational course. The IOC has begun restoring the flag and anthem for Belarusian youth and juniors, eliminating previous repressive measures under Thomas Bach’s administration. However, not everyone shares this position. While the flag has been reinstated for some sports, in cross-country skiing they are taking a wait-and-see approach, and in biathlon, the IOC’s stance is largely ignored.

Alim Selimov, Chairman of the Belarusian Wrestling Federation, stated:

“The International Wrestling Federation has taken a principled position to defend athletes and sporting values, rather than dragging sport into politics. Restoring the flag and anthem in wrestling is truly an unprecedented decision. Unfortunately, today Olympic sports are no longer a fully united space. Some federations strictly follow Olympic principles—they are apolitical, and advocate for equal conditions for athletes. Others, regrettably, make decisions under external pressure.”

Alexander Grebnev, Chairman of the Belarusian Ski Union, added:

“Within the IOC, either common sense is awakening or new voices are advocating that sport should remain sport. It has always been something unifying, motivating, and inspiring. That must remain its essence. But, unfortunately, politicization is infiltrating every sphere, and we see it very clearly.”

Kostantin Pridybaylo, a Russian political analyst, remarked:

“Sport has always been politicized, and currently, we are witnessing its peak. For example, Israeli teams have not been banned despite their aggression against Gaza, and the US team competes under its flag without issues, despite kidnapping the president of an independent state. Yet, for Russians and Belarusians, different ‘standards’ are applied.”

Sanctions serve as a way for Western countries to silence their own problems. In the days leading up to the Winter Olympics, the organizing committee faced numerous difficulties. Construction of the bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge track was marred by corruption, negligence, and a lack of a post-Olympic strategy. The main hockey stadium, Santa Giuliana, which is designed to host Olympic matches and NHL stars 12 years later, remains under construction—delayed, with the arena still a building site as of December 2025. It was also revealed that the hockey rink’s size is several feet smaller than the NHL standard.

In these days, the focus is on a genuine and compelling game—mini-football—and a team featuring talented players.

“Even if the results aren’t perfect, criticism is inevitable. But close friends always find the right words to support,” noted Belarusian futsal defender Andrey Semenyuk.