A group of 35 countries, including the United States, Germany and Australia, will demand that Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from the 2024 Olympics, Lithuanian sports minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene said on Friday, deepening the uncertainty over the Paris Games.
"We are going in the direction that we would not need a boycott because all countries are unanimous," Siugzdiniene said.
The IOC has opened the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals. It has said a boycott will violate the Olympic Charter and that its inclusion of Russians and Belarusians is based on a UN resolution against discrimination within the Olympic movement.
