Lithuanian trail race welcomes Russians and Belarusians only under Ukraine's flag

Organizers of the Trail Kuršių Nerija trail race on Lithuania's Curonian Spit have announced that Russian and Belarusian citizens are not welcome at the competition, except if they compete under the Ukrainian flag. In the registration rules, both countries' names are deliberately written in lowercase.

Organizers of the Trail Kuršių Nerija trail race on Lithuania's Curonian Spit have imposed a special condition for Russian and Belarusian citizens wishing to participate: they are permitted to compete only under the Ukrainian flag. The organizers stated that representatives of the two "unwelcome" nations will not be "welcomed" at the event.

According to the Volna publication, the registration documents deliberately write both countries' names in lowercase as "russia or belarus" — a clear political signal through which the organizers express solidarity with Ukraine in light of Russia's full-scale invasion.

This is not the first time that sporting events in the Baltic states have imposed restrictions on Russian and Belarusian participants. Since February 2022, many European sports event organizers have refused to accept Russian and Belarusian athletes under neutral flags or have imposed outright bans.