Paris 2024: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko calls on his athletes to "break your face" of their adversaries
Cairo: Hani Kamal El-Din
This is a surprising way to encourage your country’s athletes. Three months before the Paris Olympic Games, Alexander Lukashenko invites Belarusian athletes to “break your face” of their adversaries. “If you have made your choice and you go there under neutral status, beat them up, show them that you are a real Belarusian”declared Tuesday, April 30, the head of state, in power since 1994 and accustomed to sweeping declarations and brilliant coups.
This umpteenth outing comes at a time when Belarus is excluded as a state from the Olympic and Paralympic Games due to its support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine (Minsk having opened its territory to the Russian army so that it can attack by the North). The IOC announced at the end of March that Russian and Belarusian athletes would not be able to parade during the opening ceremony in Paris. This ban is in addition to their obligation to participate under a neutral banner, provided they have not openly supported the attack against Ukraine. The Russian and Belarusian anthems will also not be able to play.
During a visit to the Belarusian region of Mogilev, residents asked Alexander Lukashenko what he thought of this participation under neutral status, according to a report published on the presidency’s website. “It’s up to the athlete to choose. If he decides to participate in the Olympics, he will be even more fierce. Because you understand that state of mind and anger are not of minor importance in sporthe reacted. You are Belarusian and when you emerge victorious, it’s a good way for us to hit them in the face politically.”.
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