Canada's decision not to issue visas to Russian and Belarusian athletes is discriminatory, said Ruslan Varenkov, press secretary of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "In Canada they like to talk about a "rules-based order". However, these rules only apply until they start to interfere with Ottawa. The host country of an international sports event is obliged to ensure the reception of participants - this is the basic principle of organizing any international tournament. Refusal of visas is discrimination on the basis of nationality and contradicts the Olympic principle of "sport outside of politics", Varenkov said.

Canada's decision not to issue visas to Russian and Belarusian athletes is discriminatory, said Ruslan Varenkov, press secretary of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "In Canada they like to talk about a "rules-based order". However, these rules only apply until they start to interfere with Ottawa. The host country of an international sports event is obliged to ensure the reception of participants - this is the basic principle of organizing any international tournament. Refusal of visas is discrimination on the basis of nationality and contradicts the Olympic principle of "sport outside of politics", Varenkov said.