site.btaNon-Admission of Russian, Belarusian Athletes in European Qualifier in Sofia Up to World Taekwondo Federation

In connection with the upcoming 2024 World Taekwondo European Qualification Tournament in Sofia between March 9 and 11, and the announced participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the competition, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry and the Youth and Sports Ministry said that the non-admission of athletes to the tournament in Bulgaria is within the competence of the World Taekwondo Federation. The event serves as the last possibility to earn a quota spot for the Paris 2024 Olympics. In a joint press release on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry and the Youth and Sports Ministry stressed that Bulgaria strongly condemns Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine, assisted by Belarus.

The ministries’ official position comes after they received a note from the Embassy of Ukraine in Sofia with an appeal to restrict four athletes from Russia and Belarus, who openly support Russia's war against Ukraine, from participating in the tournament.

There are currently no restrictive measures imposed by the European Union on Russia and Belarus in the field of sport. The International Olympic Committee allows Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international sports competitions as ‘neutrals’ who cannot represent their countries, and provided that the athletes do not take personal positions in support of Russia's war against Ukraine.

However, the two ministries recommend that the athletes mentioned in the note from the Embassy of Ukraine in Sofia should not be allowed to participate.