U.S. and allies call for ban on Russian and Belarus flags at athletic events

U.S. and its allies on Tuesday reiterated their calls for the international sports community to suspend Russian and Belarusian sports organizations and remove Russian and Belarusian individuals from positions of influence associated with the athletic community, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"National and international sports organizations should consider suspending the broadcasting of sports competitions into Russia and Belarus," the State Department said in a joint statement with representatives from more than 30 countries, adding that "official state Russian and Belarusian flags, emblems and anthems should be prohibited."

"Furthermore, we reiterate our encouragement for the international sport community to continue to show its solidarity with the people of Ukraine, including through supporting the continuation and reconstruction of Ukrainian sport where possible," reads the statement.

The move comes as the Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed to Bali, Indonesia, to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers' gathering, where he will meet with his Chinese counterpart and will also reinforce commitment to working with international partners to confront global challenges, including the threat Russia's continued war against Ukraine presents to the international order.

State Department spokesman Ned Price told TURAN's correspondent during Tuesday's news briefing that he did not expect any meeting between Blinken and Russia's Sergei Lavrov at the ministerial.

"I'm not in a position to walk through the choreography, but I certainly would not expect any meeting between Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Lavrov," he added.

The Group of 20m he said, will speak out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.