Sports News | Belarus' Olympic Body Faces IOC Punishment Amid Protests
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. The IOC said it is weighing formal punishments for Olympic officials in Belarus after widespread reports of reprisals against athletes amid protests against the country's disputed presidential election.
Lausanne, Nov 26 (AP) The IOC said it is weighing formal punishments for Olympic officials in Belarus after widespread reports of reprisals against athletes amid protests against the country's disputed presidential election.
The authoritarian leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, claimed a sixth presidential term after an August election seen by many as rigged in his favor.
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Lukashenko has also been president of the Belarus Olympic Committee for 23 years.
After an executive board meeting Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee said it was acting amid "the growing number of worrying reports concerning athletes, officials and sports in Belarus."
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Each Sunday for the past 16 weeks, street protests have called for Lukashenko to resign. Thousands have been detained in an often violent police crackdown.
The IOC said it would consider unspecified "appropriate measures or sanctions" against the Belarusian Olympic body for possible breaches of the Olympic charter, without naming Lukashenko. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)