Estonian TV refused to show the Youth Games because of the participation of Russians
At the Youth Games in Dakar, Russian and Belarusian athletes will perform with national symbols. The Olympics will be held from October 31 to November 13
Due to the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus, the Estonian state broadcaster ERR will not broadcast the opening and closing ceremonies of the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar. This is reported on the website of the company.
ERR has decided not to broadcast live the opening and closing ceremonies of the Youth Olympic Games. We have notified both the European Broadcasting Union and the Olympic Committee. We will cover the results of Estonian athletes on the ERR sports portal and in ETV sports news, Rivo Saarna, head of the ERR sports editorial board, said.
The right of the national teams of Russia and Belarus to bring to the stadium flags and national symbols Saarna called “regrettable development” of the situation.
The Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in December 2025 recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes be allowed to participate in youth competitions without restrictions. This applies to both individual and team sports.
In July, the IOC temporarily lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), introduced in October 2023, and withdrew recommendations on the terms of participation of Russian teams and athletes. However, the status of their admission to competitions now directly depends on the decisions of each individual international federation.
The Youth Olympics in Dakar will be held from October 31 to November 13 and will be a historic event - these will be the first Olympic competitions on the African continent.
The Russian team included 13 athletes for these Games.
