The Presidents of the three Baltic National Olympic Committees met in Vilnius on Wednesday. It was not only a discussion on mutual cooperation. The leaders of the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian Olympic Movements also expressed a united position on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international sports competitions.

The new President of the Latvian Olympic Committee, Janis Buks, and Secretary General Karlis Lejnieks, as well as the President of the Estonian Olympic Committee, Urmas Soorumaa, and the Secretary General, Siim Sukles, were among the participants of the meeting in Vilnius.

“The Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian Olympic Committees keep a very close relationship. We share ideas, best practices, lessons learned, celebrate each other’s victories, and consult each other on relevant issues. We also have historical experiences and memories, so we share the same pain about what is happening in Ukraine.

The position of the Baltic Olympic Committees has remained unchanged since the beginning of the war ‒ we support Ukraine and oppose the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions while the war is still ongoing,” said Daina Gudzinevičiūtė, Olympic champion and President of the National Olympic Committee of Lithuania (LNOC).

During the meeting, the Presidents of the National Olympic Committees signed a statement reiterating their opposition to the participation of athletes from Russia, which is waging war in Ukraine, and Belarus, which is supporting its actions, in international sport competitions.