Russia has made gains in international sport in recent weeks despite EU calls to keep it isolated over the war in Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent reports.
On 19 October Lithuania lost the right to host a modern pentathlon event in April 2027 after refusing visas to Russian and Belarusian athletes. On 25 October the International Weightlifting Federation awarded its 2030 championship to Moscow, the first top-level event given to Russia since the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Lithuania's foreign minister called the pentathlon decision shameful, and Ukraine's sports minister said Kyiv would boycott the Moscow championship. A European Commission spokesperson said it regretted both decisions and that federations and member states should respect EU sanctions. The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has promised proposals to maintain Russia's sporting isolation, but no timetable has been given.
Source: Kyiv Independent
