The British home secretary says she has revoked visas for the Belarusian men's basketball team over the country’s support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Priti Patel on February 26 said on Twitter: “I have canceled the visas of the Belarusian Men’s Basketball Team who were due to play in Newcastle.”
“The UK will not welcome the national sports teams of those countries who are complicit in [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
I have cancelled the visas of the Belarusian Men’s Basketball Team who were due to play in Newcastle tomorrow night. The UK will not welcome the national sports teams of those countries who are complicit in Putin’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of #Ukraine.
— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) February 26, 2022
Belarus hosted thousands of Russian troops in a military exercise prior to Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.
Many of the Russian troops involved in the invasion crossed into Ukraine from Belarus, although the authoritarian Belarusian leader says none of the country’s troops participated in the military action.
On February 25, Britain summoned the Belarusian ambassador, Maksim Yermalovich, to protest Belarus’s assistance to Russia in its invasion.
Russia has been hit with a slew of sports and cultural cancellations following its attack on Ukraine, including soccer matches and ballet performances.