The letter is the result of diplomatic efforts by the Minister of Sports and Tourism, Kamil Bortniczuk, who – concerned by the decision of the International Boxing Association (IBA) to lift the sanctions imposed on Russian and Belarusian boxers – called on the others EU countries to react together.

Below we present the content of the letter signed by the Ministers responsible for sport of the 24 Member States of the European Union, addressed to the President of the IOC, Thomas Bach.

“Dear Mr. President,

We, the Ministers of the Member States of the European Union responsible for activities in the field of sport, representing like views, are concerned about the deterioration of the situation in Ukraine, caused by the ongoing war of aggression waged by Russia with the support of Belarus. We fear that certain entities will question or even break with the collective approach to the world of sport advocated by the IOC.

The Olympic Charter states: “The aim of the Olympic Movement is that sport should serve the harmonious development of mankind, promoting the peaceful life of society with the aim of preserving human dignity.” We therefore call on the IOC Executive Board to reiterate its position as expressed in its statement of February 28, 2022 and to call on all international sports federations to respect the principles set out therein. It is our human responsibility to protect the integrity of sports competitions and the safety of all participants around the world. International sports federations and sports event organizers have been advised not to invite or allow Russian or Belarusian athletes and activists to participate in international competitions.

The statement also mentions that in cases where such actions are impossible for time, organizational or legal reasons, sports federations and organizers are recommended to do everything in their power to ensure that Russian and Belarusian athletes do not compete as representatives of their country, but only as neutral players, without displaying any symbol, color or national flag of their country and without playing their national anthems.

Given the gravity of the situation, you have our full support in promoting such measures. We would like to reiterate our position expressed in two statements signed on March 8 and July 4, 2022, in which we condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine from the perspective of sports policymakers.

We encourage the international sports community, through the IOC, to continue to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine. We therefore ask you to reaffirm the principles set out in the recommendation of 28 February addressed to international sports federations and to take all appropriate measures to recall that the Olympic Movement is firmly opposed to Russian aggression supported by Belarus and that these measures will be applied until the end of this act of barbarism.”