+40 Nations To Boycott 2024 Olympics

On Thursday, Poland’s sport and tourism minister warned that up to 40 nations may boycott the 2024 Olympics if an International Olympic Committee plan to bring Russian athletes back into the competition is approved. Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have declared their opposition to such a plan.

The IOC’s decision to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete at next year’s Games shocked many in the sports community. Moreover, it has drawn strong condemnation from politicians in both countries for their decision.

Kamil Bortniczuk, Poland’s sport and tourism minister, has expressed solidarity with Ukraine by warning up to 40 nations could boycott the 2024 Olympics if Russia and Belarus are permitted to compete. His remarks follow a joint rejection by Poland, Erodate, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia of an International Olympic Committee plan which would have allowed athletes from those two countries to compete at the games.

Last week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced its initiative to find a resolution to the Russian-Belarusian dispute. This decision has caused anger and frustration across all three former Soviet states and Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine condemned it as a violation of the Olympic truce – an UN-backed resolution prohibiting war during or one week after the competition.

Therefore, the IOC has reversed its plans to allow athletes from those two nations to compete as “neutral athletes” without flags or anthems.

They claimed this move would only serve to “punish” athletes and violate the Olympic charter.

Thomas Bach, the outgoing IOC head, has stressed the organization’s desire to protect athletes and preserve the spirit of the Games. But their decision to allow athletes from Russia and Ukraine back into Europe after they were banned since February 2022 has sparked outrage from sports leaders and governments worldwide.

In an interview with Reuters, Bortniczuk predicted that 30-40 countries would unite against the IOC’s proposal at their meeting on February 10. Additionally, he expressed hope that this gathering would allow the organization to reflect upon its actions.However, he added that boycotting would be only the last option in extreme circumstances. Furthermore, he challenged the IOC to reflect upon its “historical responsibility” as part of an international sporting community.

The IOC is looking to build on its legacy after years of disputes over Russia’s status, from widespread doping scandals to the current conflict in Ukraine. These will be the final Olympics under Bach, who has spearheaded many efforts to ensure Russia’s place within the sport he helped establish.

Russia and Belarus have been cast into the sporting wilderness since the invasion of Ukraine.

Poland’s sports minister recently warned that up to 40 nations may boycott the 2024 Olympic Games if Russian and Belarusian athletes are permitted to compete in Paris. This adds further pressure on the International Olympic Committee as it attempts to find a way to prevent the Games from being torn apart by the conflict in Ukraine.

Representatives from 34 countries, including the United States, Canada, and host France have sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressing their opposition to Russian and Belarusian athletes competing in the Olympics. Furthermore, it urges them to ensure athletes can compete as neutrals without representing their respective countries during competitions.

The letter sent by the representatives of these countries follows a call by sports ministers in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland that Russia and Belarus should not be permitted to compete in international competitions until after the conflict in Ukraine has ended. They urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and international sports federations to reject any attempts to bring back athletes from these two states.

They added that no Russian or Belarusian flags should be flown at sporting events or meetings

Thomas Bach, President of the IOC, has rejected this as an unjust interference in sports organizations’ autonomy. He hoped they could find a solution to reintegrate Russian and Belarusian athletes into competition before next summer’s Games. Additionally, he reiterated that the Olympics is an open competition where governments have no right to decide whether an athlete may participate.

Meanwhile, the White House has said it won’t object to Russian and Belarusian athletes competing as neutrals at the Olympics if they clearly don’t represent their home nations. However, it will support any sanctions implemented by the IOC, such as banning flags from being displayed during sporting events and not playing national anthems during medal ceremonies.

Since Ukraine’s invasion, the IOC and other sports governing bodies have come under attack, with athletes from the country being banned or expelled from multiple significant leagues. The Russian men’s national soccer team was also barred from World Cup playoffs. At the same time, UEFA suspended its sponsorship deal with energy giant Gazprom.

The International Olympic Committee is making plans to reintegrate Russian and Belarusian athletes.

The International Olympic Committee is considering how to bring Russian and Belarusian athletes back into competition, but only some people support this idea. One year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, opinion is divided on how best to handle Russia’s return to competition – and what effect it will have on next year’s Paris Games.

On Tuesday, IOC President Thomas Bach declared that individual athletes from Russia and Belarus could compete under a neutral status in sports where their country has been banned if they have no military links. However, those who support the war would remain prohibited, according to Mr. Bach’s words to reporters.

Human rights experts have warned the IOC against exclusionary measures based solely on passports. Furthermore, Ban Ki-moon, former U.N. secretary-general, chaired the IOC ethics panel, which does not have the authority to impose sanctions against athletes but can only suggest such measures to its executive board.

Finally, the individual sports governing bodies will ultimately decide whether Russian and Belarusian athletes can participate in their events – including qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Bach Pornoorzel assured that a decision would be made “at the appropriate time.”

Some countries are considering boycotting the 2024 Olympics, including Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has declared any Russian athletes entering the Games an invasion of his country’s territorial integrity. At a February summit in London, Zelenskyy called for all Russian athletes to be excluded from participating – an issue he has repeated recently during meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron.

35 governments have joined a letter opposing the IOC’s proposal to reinstate Russian and Belarusian sports teams into international competition. They argue significant issues need to be addressed before an effective neutrality model can be created.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a nonprofit, international organization that organizes the regular hosting of the Olympic Games and promotes the Olympic Movement. Their goal is to bring people around the world together through sport.

Bortniczuk says it’s possible to build a coalition

Polish Sport and Tourism Minister Kamil Bortniczuk recently stated that it could be possible to build a coalition of up to 40 nations to boycott the 2024 Olympic Games. His remarks follow Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia voting against an International Olympic Committee proposal that would have allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under neutral flags in 2024.

Bortniczuk predicted it may be possible to build a coalition of up to 30 or 40 nations against the IOC’s plan before their meeting on February 10. He mentioned Poland and Britain as leading forces in efforts to form an international coalition against Russia and Belarus taking part in next year’s Games.

The IOC is currently devising plans to reintegrate Russia and Belarus into international sports, allowing athletes from these two nations to compete as neutral athletes during Asian qualifying for the 2024 Paris Games.

Leading officials from Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Ukraine have strongly objected to this initiative

It is believed that the IOC’s plans to reintegrate Russian and Belarusian athletes into world sports will be used by Moscow for propaganda purposes. Olympic biathlete Vladimir Drachev expressed his opposition to this initiative in a Russian news agency TASS interview, warning that athletes from those two nations would be required to sign a declaration agreeing not to compete without their national flag or anthem present.

Ukraine has threatened to boycott the 2024 Olympics if the IOC doesn’t rethink its decision. But the IOC has stood firm, insisting that boycotting would only punish athletes. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland has called on all sports bodies to ban Russia and Belarus from competing at the Games until a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. Additionally, he admonished the IOC as “a promoter of war, murder, and destruction” via his Twitter account.

Meanwhile, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has sent a letter to athletes and sports organizations expressing concerns regarding any process allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete. It cautioned that such management would require extra effort to earn athletes’ confidence and trust.

Welcome to Football Supporters International

Welcome to Football Supporters International
Welcome to Football Supporters International

Welcome to the Football Supporters’ International website, an independent network of fans’ organisations providing travel advice and information for supporters.

The information on this website is provided by the Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF) ‘Fans’ Embassy’ service sponsored by Nationwide.

Now don’t worry if you’ve come to this site expecting to find the lowdown on host cities for next years’ World Cup, you HAVE come to the right place, we DO know it’s on and we are currently working flat out to ensure that all the information you need is to hand. Our volunteers have visited all 12 venues to provide the kind of information that is relevant to all supporters thinking of travelling to one or more of the host cities. Addressing the major issues of accommodation, travel, the stadium, eating & drinking, things to see and do and packed with city maps and stadium plans, the site will provide a comprehensive travel resource for any fan wishing to travel.

The site is currently under construction and we hope to have it up and ready in the new year of hand jobs. However, you can NOW register your email address and we will send you an email to let you know when the site is updated and relaunched. Run by fans for fans, we promise that the information on the site of free porn will be updated regularly and will be the kind of information that is relevant and is tournament-specific rather than the general stuff you’d expect to find in guidebooks – security arrangements, matchday travel, fan parks etc. And, if you can’t find the information that you want, email us and we’ll investigate and come back to you with an answer.

To register your email address and be the first to have access to the new website as soon as it is launched please enter your name and email address into the form below.

Stadium Information

Stadium Information
Stadium Information

On a matchday all stadia will open 3 hours before kick off. Most will have barcode readers to detect forged tickets and will have the customary three cordon security check on approach to the ground. There is some debate as to whether supporters will be allowed access to the stadium to hang flags and then be allowed back out again before kick off, however, most are hoping to allow this but nevertheless it is worth checking with stadium officials on the day of the game. Most stadia have places to hang flags, but any found covering the official sponsors’ boards will be removed. See the stadium pages of each host city for stadium-specific information.

Much has been made about checking names on tickets against supporters entering the stadium, however, we all appreciate that checking 40,000 supporters identity against 40,000 tickets is not feasible. The idea has been mooted about at every tournament since France ’98 and has yet to materialise. They will be carrying out random checks, however, so it is worth making sure that you have some identity with you just in case you are one of the ‘random’ ones.

Your match ticket also includes free public transport on matchday in the host city. For further details, you should check the conditions on your ticket.

– FIFA Arrangements & Ticketing

FIFA are currently looking at ways to improve common ticketing problems, such as introducing a way of returning and reselling tickets to benefit supporters who cannot attend games or whose teams get knocked out in the early stages. At the time of writing, the FSF are in discussions with FIFA about setting up a system to allow the replacement of lost or stolen tickets and as soon as plans are finalised, details will be posted here. Whilst there is no guarantee that this will happen, it is worth recording your ticket details and keeping evidence of your payments just in case. Tickets issued by national associations are unlikely to be replaced.

Ticket touting is a criminal offence in Germany and new security measures at each stadium including state of the art barcode readers should make getting in to the ground with forged tickets difficult. There will, undoubtedly, be tickets available for sale on the black-market, but you should be aware that you have no protection if a ticket you buy is forged and you are refused entry to the ground.

– Official Fans’ Embassy

The German equivalent of the Football Supporters Federation, the KOS, have organised to have at least one official fans embassy in each host city around matchdays to help and advise visiting supporters. If you need any information or require any assistance, they will be able to give you the low-down on the city and will also have leaflets and maps available to help you find your way around.

A Brief Intro….

A Brief Intro
A Brief Intro….

A Brief Intro….
The 2006 World Cup is taking place in GermanyGerman Flag between Friday, 9th June and Sunday 9th July. Over 3 million tickets are to be distributed for 56 games, to be held in 12 host cities, with hundreds of thousands of visiting fans expected to converge to join their German hosts watching the games from both within and outside the grounds.

The information on this website is intended to try to help improve the tournament experience for visiting fans, and has been compiled by the Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF) as part of our Fans’ Embassy service.

Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, the Nationwide Building Society – themselves an official partner of the England team – the FSF will be operating our Fans’ Embassy service in every city where the England team play this summer.

Our plans include:

A team of fans’ embassy volunteers operating from a liveried fans’ embassy vehicle in a prominent location in the city centre of every England venue
A new edition of our free England fanzine, Free Lions, for every game
A 24-hour telephone helpline service offering advice and information to supporters
Thanks to the support of our Communications Partner, T-Mobile, a free SMS text message update service
In addition to all the above, we will of course be constantly updating this website with the latest information to become available throughout the tournament.

The location of our fans’ embassy in each city will be publicised on this website as soon as it’s determined – see the first page of each city section for details.

Tickets

Just about the only thing we can’t help you with is getting hold of a ticket. Official sales to the general public have been made by FIFA via their website at fifaworldcup.yahoo.com .

The specific England allocation is passed to the English FA for distribution, who sell tickets only to members of their englandfans+ ticketing structure. Membership of this organisation was however capped at 25,000 members, and no new applications for membership have been accepted since April of last year. The FA’s website is at www.thefa.com.

Host Cities

You’ll find lots of useful information about each of the host cities – including the ones England can’t play in – via the menu on the right. General information that applies to the whole country can be found via the links above the venue guide.

Venues

Venues
Venues

Football Supporters International (FSI)

This website is provided by the Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF), the unified national campaigning organisation for football fans in England and Wales. The FSF is part of an international network of organisations, established in 2002, who provide fans’ embassy-style advice and information services for fans from their respective countries – Football Supporters’ International (FSI).
The FSI is a developing network built on the “by fans, for fans” principle, with accumulated experience of international football and an unsurpassed network of contacts among fan groups across Europe and beyond.

On the following pages, you can find all the information that you need on the 12 host cities for the 2006 World Cup.
In addition, over the next couple of months, we will be adding information on the venues for Euro 2008 and for some of the European Club competitions to help supporters who plan to travel to watch both international and domestic football.
Biggest news on the World Cup front this week is… the launch of this website! Produced by the Football Supporters’ Federation, it conveys all the information compiled by the FSF’s Fans; Embassy service.

The Fans’ Embassy service is uniquely placed to bring you the most comprehensive WorldCup information. The FSF despatched England fans to each of the 12 German host cities to research at first hand all the stuff you’re likely to need to know. Our links through the Football Supporters International network mean we have unrivalled contacts throughout Germany – and indeed other European countries – to keep that information updated and answer any questions that may come up.

News

News
News

Biggest news on the World Cup front this week is… the launch of this website! Produced by the Football Supporters’ Federation, it conveys all the information compiled by the FSF’s Fans’ Embassy service.

The Fans’ Embassy service is uniquely placed to bring you the most comprehensive World Cup information. The FSF despatched England fans to each of the 12 German host cities to research at first hand all the stuff you’re likely to need to know. Our links through the Football Supporters International network mean we have unrivalled contacts throughout Germany – and indeed other European countries – to keep that information updated and answer questions that anyone may come up with.

The work of the Fans’ Embassy also brings us into close contact with both British and foreign government and policing agencies, tournament organisers and host city authorities, which means that we get access to all kinds of other information that fans may find useful.

And here at this website, the old Fans’ Embassy motto also holds true: if there’s something we don’t know, we usually know how to find out. So make use of the offer – if you have any information you need to know but can’t find on the site, email your question to

As the weeks go by till the end of the tournament, we’ll bring you all the news we get, as we get it – so watch this space!