Czech government agrees to Russian athlete competition ban

The Czech government has agreed to a ban on Russian athletes and sports teams participating in sporting competitions on Czech soil, along with a similar ban on Czech athletes participating in competitions in Russia. The proposal was put forward by sports unions as a response to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and was supported by the National Sports Agency and the Minister of Education Mikuláš Bek.

Russian and Belarusian athletes have been barred from most international competitions since last spring. The Czech Olympic Committee is against any form of participation by Russia and Belarus in the Olympic Games in Paris next year. Two weeks ago, the committee proposed that Russian and Belarusian athletes competing in the tournament under a neutral flag must sign an oath condemning aggression against any UN member state by another.