Because of the Russian athletes, 40 countries may boycott the Olympic Games
Around 40 countries may boycott the Olympic Games to be held in Paris next year, rendering the entire major event meaningless, Poland's sports and tourism minister, Kamil Bortniczuk, said.
His comments came after Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia jointly rejected an International Olympic Committee (IOC) plan to allow Russians and Belarusians to take part in the event.
Ukraine has also threatened to boycott the Paris Olympics if this happens. But the IOC said on Thursday that any boycott will have consequences for all the athletes of these countries, KosovaPress reports.
Bortniczuk said he believed it would be possible to build a coalition of 40 countries, including Britain, the United States and Canada, to support a deadlock on the IOC's plans ahead of a meeting on February 10.
