For refusing to allow Belarusians and Russians, Lithuania lost the right to hold the CM stage in the modern pentathlon

FACT..

The International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM) has deprived Lithuania of the right to host the World Cup stage, which was to be held in Kaunas from 13 to 17 April 2027. UIPM has notified the Lithuanian Federation of Modern Pentathlon about the cancellation of the right to hold competitions, since in Lithuania there is a ban on the participation of athletes from Belarus and Russia in the country. UIPM stressed that it is obliged to follow the IOC recommendations on the admission of Belarusians and Russians to international tournaments and ensuring equal conditions for qualifying for the Olympic Games.

Maria Gnedchik and Violetta Gureeva at the World Championships in Guiyang.

...AND COMMENTARY

The so-called Baltic tigers are bellowed in the teeth. For refusing to allow our athletes to compete, Estonia was twice deprived of the right to host European championships during 2026 – first in fencing (the tournament has already taken place in France), then in bullet shooting (Spain will host it next year). Now it’s time for the Lithuanians to catch up.

The authorities of Kaunas, of course, laugh, say that in their city and without a stage of the World Cup in the pentathlon enough sports competitions. However, it is worth listening to the words of the President of the Lithuanian Federation of Modern Pentathlon Justinas Kinderis (“At first there was anger and disappointment, because preparatory work is already underway, we signed several contracts with service providers. However, the news did not come as a surprise – we have repeatedly received questions from the UIPM leadership about Russians and Belarusians. We have not changed our position... Of course, everything that happened is sad, because we would like our many years of experience in organizing championships to be appreciated. They expected elementary humanity, but they treated us without any sympathy), as you understand, the Lithuanian pentathlon is now elementaryly painful. Good job! And today, under threat from UIPM are the stage of the World Cup 2028, and junior and youth championships, the right to host which at one time was also given to Kaunas.

According to the UIPM statement, national federations can apply to replace Kaunas as the organiser of the World Cup stage. The deadline, however, is limited to October 25 (unless a replacement is found, UIPM will consider three instead of four). It is interesting in this regard, is Belarus considering nominating its candidacy? It's not an idle question. First, the IOC lifted restrictions on holding international competitions in our country a few months ago. Secondly, we definitely have enough infrastructure for the Pentathlon World Cup stage. Thirdly, the Belarusian team is one of the strongest in the world, which is confirmed by numerous victories at the World Championships and World Cups. There are four. It's not really about pentathlon, but the context is clear. Last week, the President of the NOC of Belarus visited the swimming World Cup in Astana, where he held talks with the head of the European Aquatics Federation Antonio Silva (pictured).

- We value an open dialogue with the management of European Aquatics and the global aquatics community. Such a format makes it possible to find balanced solutions even in difficult circumstances, and we are sincerely interested in further strengthening these partnerships. I would like to especially note your efforts and contribution to ensuring the admission of Belarusian athletes to participate with the flag and anthem of the country, despite the continued attempts of some states to restrict them. The parties paid special attention to the issue of Belarus’ readiness to host international events in the near future. Taking into account the fact that a few days earlier the President of European Aquatics held meetings in Moscow with the President of the Federation of Aquatics of Russia Dmitry Mazepin and there it was discussed including the holding of the World Cup in Russia, it seems that the train in sports normality, if not yet moved, then gave the buzz about departure. Especially against the backdrop of the World Cup among players under 15 starting in Baku, where the national teams of Belarus and Russia will participate on an equal footing with all rights, as well as against the backdrop of the World Handball Championship among girls under 16 in Morocco, where the Russian team has already reached the semifinals, and the Belarusian team took second place in its group. And even if a separate Dutch woman now shits no less than the notorious Englishwoman (three of the strongest Russian gymnasts were not given visas, which means they were not allowed to attend the World Sports Gymnastics Championship in Rotterdam), there is a great temptation to ignore her: Egor Sharamkov stood for the honor of Belarusian gymnastics at the World Cup, who reached the final of the competitions in free exercises, and Russian gymnasts generally perform above all praise. And soon medals will confirm this!

gord@sb.by