Posted: 06.05.2022 10:11:00

Belarus’ embassy in Brazil: suspension of our athletes from Deaflympics is unethical

From May 1st to May 15th, 2022, the 24th Summer Deaflympics are being held in the Brazilian city of Caxias do Sul under the auspices of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) and the Brazil Deaf Sports Federation. Belarus was supposed to be represented at these competitions by 37 athletes across five sports, but by the ICSD decision, on the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee, Belarusian and Russian athletes were not allowed to participate – as is reported on the website of the Belarusian diplomatic mission.

Photo: www.brazil.mfa.gov.by

In this regard, the Embassy of Belarus in Brazil expresses its deep concern about the inviolability of the provisions of the Olympic Charter and control over their observance.

“The Belarusian side stands for unconditional adherence to the principles of Olympism and the existence of sports outside of politics. The participation of any athlete in the competition should take place in accordance with the traditional Olympic values: equality and fairness. We believe that the separation of athletes with hearing impairments for political reasons by the organisers, the adoption of a decision on their admission or ban on participation in competitions that they won in a fair sports competition is unethical and unprofessional. Sport should bring people around the world together, not cause divisions between them. Hearing-impaired athletes deserve respect regardless of their nationality,” underlined the diplomatic mission.

The Deaflympics are sports competitions for people with hearing impairments.