“No way” Belarus can host European Track Cycling Championships following Ryanair flight forced landing outcry, says GB team boss

Great Britain Cycling Team performance director Stephen Park has said there is “no way” that Belarus can host the European Track Cycling Championships next month following the outcry over the forced landing in Minsk earlier this week of a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania carrying dissident journalist Roman Protasevich, who was removed from the aircraft and arrested, together with his partner.

The championships, due to take place from 23-27 June have taken on additional significance this year due to the lack of competition top track cyclists have experienced in the build-up to the postponed Tokyo Olympics, which begin in late July, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Writing on Twitter, Park said: “With 27 EU member states telling EU airlines not to fly over Belarus, and promising further economic sanctions there can surely be no way the @UEC_cycling can continue to deliver the Track Euros in Minsk next month.”

With 27 EU member states telling EU airlines not to fly over Belarus, and promising further economic sanctions there can surely be no way the @UEC_cycling can continue to deliver the Track Euros in Minsk next month. #bikeracing #UCI_Track

— Stephen Park OBE (@StephenParkOBE) May 25, 2021

Continental governing body the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC) has said that “In light of the recent international events [it] is carefully monitoring the situation,” and that a decision will be made at its management board meeting tomorrow over the event.

It added that no further update would be provided until that meeting has taken place, although essentially it is faced with three choices – to let the event proceed as planned, which looks highly unlikely, to cancel it altogether, or switch it to another country, which given the importance of pre-Olympic competition would presumably be most welcomed by the continent’s major federations.

BDR, the German national cycling federation, informed the UEC yesterday that it would not be participating in the event as a result of what the EU has described as an “attack on European sovereignty.”

The Dutch national federation, the KNWU, has not yet formally withdrawn from the championships, but its head yesterday advised its athletes not to travel to Minsk, reports NL Times.

The governing body’s chair, Thorwald Veneberg, speaking on the radio show Langs de Lijn En Omreken, said: “For us, the importance of sport matters. But it should not be an expedition, especially if there are all kinds of consequences that we cannot foresee. Then you should not take the risk.

“We are really heading for a major political crisis,” he continued. “I wouldn't want to go there anyway, but there are athletes who say: there are so few competitions, I still have to prepare for the Olympics. My advice is not to do that." he added.

Despite the saying that “sport and politics shouldn’t mix,” the fact is that they very often do, and Park was asked on Twitter about whether GB cyclists should compete in upcoming events elsewhere.

I am not a great believer in NGB's boycotting events unless it is considered unsafe for athletes to attend. That said, I do think it is reasonable for every athlete to consider their own position and determine whether they wish to attend or not.

— Stephen Park OBE (@StephenParkOBE) May 25, 2021

A number of sports found this out to their peril when they decided to support the UK Gov in boycotting 1980 Moscow Games. Athletes who defied the Gov & medalled were honoured. Some of those whose NGB's supported the boycott remain aggrieved. #athleteschoice

— Stephen Park OBE (@StephenParkOBE) May 25, 2021