The Russians are triumphant. That's what they called the Poles

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Let us recall that in mid-February the Polish Weightlifting Association was officially informed that it would not be hosting this year's European Under-15 and Under-17 Championships. The competition was awarded to Poland by the European Weightlifting Federation (EWF) in 2024.

As reported in the official EWF press release, the reason for moving the event to the capital of Spain, Madrid, is the inability to provide entry visas to Poland for athletes from Belarus and Russia, who were to compete under the name AIN — Individual Neutral Athletes. This, in turn, delighted the Russian media.

"Poland was stripped of the European Championships because of Russophobia. There is no need to cause trouble for the Russians!" writes the Russian portal Sportbox. The Russians also add that "in recent years, humiliating Russian athletes has become a favorite pastime of Russophobes."

"The European Junior Championships were eventually moved to Spain, with Russians and Belarusians going there, and Polish fans can only thank politicians for their short-sighted actions. It is worth noting that this is not the first time Poland has been punished by sports associations for Russophobic behavior. In 2023, the country did not organize the Junior World Wrestling Championships, but apparently no conclusions were drawn," Sportbox adds.

Now the event is to be held from 23 to 30 July in Spain. In the autumn of 2024, the European Junior Championships for under-20s and the European Youth Championships for under-23s were held in Raszyn, Poland, without any problems.

• This is how the Poles treated the Russian. He responded quickly

In Spain, the Kosovo team may have problems with visas because Madrid does not recognize the country's independence.

Source: PAP/PSO