Ales Bialiatski: Such Sport Smells Bad

The European games can’t be held in the country, where political activists, human rights defenders and independent journalists serve time in prison.

Minsk has been chosen the capital of the Second European games, Acting President of the European Olympic Committees Janez Kosyanchich has announced today.

The European games are regional international competitions, in which the European continent athletes take part.

It was President of the European Olympic Committee Patrick Hickey, who came out with the idea of the European games in the main Olympic sports in 2011, the initiative was supported by the President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge.

The first games were held in Baku in June 2015. They involved athletes of 50 countries, competitions were held in 30 kinds of sports.

It was planned to hold the second games in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam), however, the Netherlands withdrawn from them. After that, Minsk, Glasgow (United Kingdom), Poznan (Poland), Kazan and Sochi (Russia), and Istanbul (Turkey) expressed the desire to host the second European games.

Today, the BBC announced the decision to hold the second European games in Minsk and reminded that the first games in Baku cost Azerbaijan $ 1.2 billion, Radio Svaboda reports.

“Such sport smells bad,” – human rights activist Ales Bialiatski commented the games in Baku, noting that on the eve political activists, human rights defenders and independent journalists were convicted on trumped-up charges.

By the way, Lukashenka took part in the opening of the games in Baku, who arrived in the capital of Azerbaijan with the express purpose.