President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday, he told Belarusian athletes participating in the Olympic Games in Paris under neutral status to “beat their opponents”.
– If you have chosen and you are going there under a neutral status, beat them, show them that you are real Belarusians – said Lukashenko, quoted in the press release of the presidency.
During a visit to the Mogilev region of Belarus, residents asked Alexander Lukashenko what he thought about this participation under a neutral status, according to a report published on the website of the Belarusian presidency.
– It is up to the athlete to choose. If he decides to participate in the Olympic Games, there will be more. Because you understand that the state of mind and anger are not of little importance in sports – Lukashenko reacted.
– You are Belarus and when you emerge as the winner, it is a good way to hit them in the face politically.
Lukashenko, in power since 1994, eradicated all forms of opposition in his country, suppressing a peaceful mass movement in 2020. He is also used to broad statements and outbursts, such as when he paraded with a Kalashnikov in his hand in front of protesters who oppose his rule. , calling them “rats”. In February 2022, he opened Belarus to the Russian army so that it could invade Ukraine from the north.
Belarus was excluded as a country from the Games due to its support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and its athletes compete under a neutral status, without an anthem, flag and national symbols.