VILNIUS - The Lithuanian Rowing Federation will not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to partake in international regattas held in the country.
The move comes in response to the international rowing federation World Rowing's decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions as neutral athletes.
"However, we will maintain our strict position and will not accept aggressors to international regattas organized in Lithuania," Saulius Ritter, the Lithuanian federation's secretary general, said in a statement released on Monday.
World Rowing decided to accept the International Olympic Committee's recommendations to return Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions. They will now be able to compete as neutral athletes at this year's junior, youth and adult world championships.
The 2023 World Rowing Under 23 Championships will be held in Bulgaria on July 19-23. The 2023 World Rowing Under 19 Championships will take place in France on August 2-6. And the 2023 World Rowing Championships will take place in Serbia on September 3-10.
It is up to Lithuanian athletes to decide whether to take part in these competitions or not, Ritter said.
The Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine led to the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from most international competitions, but they have since been gradually allowed to return to international competitions.
In March, the International Olympic Committee recommended to international federations and organizers of international sporting events to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes with no army links "must compete only as Individual Neutral Athletes".
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