Deportation anniversary prompts call for games boycott

Estonia's Union of Freedom Fighters and Association of Former Political Prisoners are opposing the participation of Estonian athletes in the International Youth Games in Moscow on June 14, the day Estonia traditionally remembers the victims of communist-era deportations.

Aadu Oll, vice chairman of the Association of Former Political Prisoners, said the young athletes might not realize the importance of the day if they went.

"We ask the people to condemn the attempts to bring up Estonian youth in the manner of forgetting the past," he said.

The International Youth Games of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Baltic States and the regions of Russia, actively promoted by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, will gather 23 teams from the former Soviet Union, including about 160 athletes from Estonia.

In a joint statement released on May 28, the two organizations said that "young Estonian athletes' participation in a contest on June 14 is completely unacceptable regardless of the host country."

The prominent Estonian writer Jaan Kross last week asked sports organizations to boycott the games, referring to an attack on the Estonian Embassy in Moscow three weeks ago. Bottles of paint were thrown at the embassy by nationalist extremists.

Estonian Prime Minister Siim Kallas told the Eesti Paevaleht newspaper that the Cabinet had never welcomed Estonia's participation in the games.

"But nobody asked us," he said. "The sport organizations are distanced from the government and operate independently."

In a poll of more than 300 visitors to the Estonian sports Web site of Estonian sport.ee, 74 percent voted against participation in the games.

Mart Siimann, president of the Estonian Olympic Committee, said that 15 sport organizations made the decision to participate.

"When taking the decision to participate, the sport organizations followed only goals related to sports trying to benefit the athletes," said Siimann.

"I share the fears of the Russian sport organizations that somebody will try to use the games for political purpose," said Siimann.

Rein Oobik, project manager with the Estonian Olympic Committee responsible for Estonia's participation in the event, said no athlete refused to participate in the games as a result of the political controversy that swept the Estonian press last week.