Representatives from the Baltic nations’ National Olympic Committees—Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia—have voiced a clear stance against the participation of Russian athletes in the Paris 2024 opening ceremony. This position was reported by Inside the Games and reflects a coordinated response from the three NOC bodies after reviewing the IOC framework for the Games.
The Baltic NOCs have already filed a joint letter with the International Olympic Committee outlining their concerns and urging the IOC to maintain its stated principles for eligibility and representation at the event.
The objection states, in no uncertain terms, that Russians and Belarusians should not be present under any circumstances, aligning with calls for a strict separation of sport and politics as framed by the NOC representatives in their correspondence.
The Paris Games are scheduled to commence on July 26, 2024, marking a significant international gathering after years of upheaval in the Olympic calendar and in response to geopolitical tensions affecting global sport.
Since March 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes have faced suspension from international competition following a specific military operation on Ukrainian soil. This action followed the IOC’s initial recommendations to exclude athletes from those countries from global events. In December 2023, the IOC decided to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in Paris 2024 under neutral status and under a defined set of conditions, a policy that has drawn varied reactions across the Olympic community.
In January 2024, Latvia’s parliament, the Saeima, sent a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron urging that athletes from Russia and Belarus be barred from participation in the Paris Games, reinforcing the Baltic region’s unified stance on the matter.
Earlier statements from OKR indicated a demand that Russia explicitly condemn its actions before Olympic participation could be considered. The ongoing debate illustrates the tension between political considerations and the IOC’s philosophy of Olympic participation, as well as the diverse national positions shaping the lead-up to Paris 2024.