Lithuania's anti-Russia stance costs it international tournament

The International Modern Pentathlon Union has reportedly ruled that host nations must guarantee equal opportunities to all athletes Lithuania has been stripped of the right to host stages of the 2027 Modern Pentathlon World Cup over its refusal to admit Russian and Belarusian athletes, local media reported on Monday. The decision was reportedly made at the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) executive board meeting earlier this month. Lithuanian Modern Pentathlon Federation President Justinas Kinderis said the move was"sad"but unsurprising, as the international body had repeatedly questioned Lithuania's refusal to admit Russian and Belarusian competitors. In a letter cited by Delfi, UIPM President Rob Stull said host countries must comply with International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommendations and ensure equal opportunities for athletes seeking to qualify for the 2028 Olympics. In July, the IOC decided to provisionally lift restrictions on the Russian and Belarusian Olympic committees, potentially opening the way for their athletes to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics under national symbols. It also recommended that international sports federations let athletes from both nations enter championships. Last month, the Lithuanian Science, Sport and Education Ministry condemned the decisions by the IOC and international sports organizations to ease the restrictions and said that its own recommendations to national sports bodies to ban athletes from both nations stay in place. Kinderis also criticized the UIPM for failing to understand Lithuania's position."We would like our many years of work organizing championships and winning medals to be respected and appreciated more. We expected simple human decency,"he told Delfi on Monday. According to the Lithuanian federation head, the nation could also lose its right to host the 2028 World Cup stage and the junior and youth championships. Moscow and Minsk have yet to comment on the development. National federations have until October 25 to submit bids to host the stage that was originally scheduled to take place in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas. If no candidate comes forward, the UIPM could hold just three stages next year instead of four, according to Delfi. Lithuania, together with fellow Baltic nations Latvia and Estonia, has taken one of the most hardline anti-Russian stances in the wake of the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. The three former Soviet republics, which all have sizable Russian-speaking minorities, introduced travel restrictions targeting Russian nationals and intensified efforts to counter what they claimed was Russian influence. Estonia has similarly lost the right to host two international sports tournaments over its hardline position on Russian and Belarusian athletes. In January, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) stripped it of the right to hold the 2026 European Fencing Championship. The next year's European Air Weapons Championship was also moved from Estonia to Spain. Meanwhile, the EU is reportedly considering measures to curb the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sports under their national flags. According to Euractiv, proposals discussed include targeted sanctions, visa restrictions and cuts to funding for sports organizations that allow athletes from the two countries to compete under national symbols.