Former French Open champion Jeļena Ostapenko is among several Latvian athletes to have had state funding stopped after competing in events involving Russians and Belarussians ©Getty Images

The Latvian Olympic Committee (LOK) has stopped state funding for five athletes, including tennis player Jeļena Ostapenko and cyclists Tom Skujiņš and Kristas Neiland, as a punishment for their participation in competitions which included competitors from Russia and Belarus.

LOK general secretary Kārlis Lejnieks confirmed that the monthly allowance of the Latvian Olympic Unit (LOV) will be suspended starting from this month.

Funds may resume after consultation with the Ministry of Interior and other relevant institutions.

This idea was first presented by the Ministry of Education and Science of the country after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Countries also cut ties with Belarus, who have a strong relationship with Russia and allegedly allowed their troops to train in their country.

Ostapenko was the 2017 French Open champion, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2018 and 2022 and the Australia Open in 2022.

Tom Skujiņš, who represented Latvia in two Olympic Games, is among athletes to have had their state funding stopped after competing in events containing Russians and Belarussians ©Getty Images
Tom Skujiņš, who represented Latvia in two Olympic Games, is among athletes to have had their state funding stopped after competing in events containing Russians and Belarussians ©Getty Images

Neiland, who rides for Israel-Premier Tech, was unhappy with the LOK's decision.

"It is definitely not a solution that our Government is attacking our own athletes," he told Latvian Television.

"Let's look at the same Ukraine, which does not prevent its athletes from competing with athletes from Russia and Belarus, and under a neutral flag.

"So why should our Government ban us? 

"Our Government shouldn't come after us, but they should come after those sports organisations, which in our case is the International Cycling Union (UCI). 

"My team is my employer, it's my job and that's how I earn my bread. 

"What can I do?"

Latvia's Parliament, the Saeima, has banned sports teams from competing in national championships and cup competitions that are in Russia and Belarus.

They also banned Latvian teams from competing in international leagues where more than half the teams are either Russian or Belarusian.

Skujiņš, who competes for the Trek Segafredo team and represented Latvia a the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, was uncertain how the situation will play out for the future, but is optimistic the ban will be overturned in time for the UCI World Championships in Glasgow in August. 

"At this moment, there are more questions than answers," he said.

LOK President Georges Tikmers has warned that the country will boycott next year's Olympic Games  in Paris if Russia and Belarus were cleared to compete.

Latvia has threatened that it will boycott next year's Olympic Games in Paris if the IOC allow Russia and Belarus to compete ©Getty Images
Latvia has threatened that it will boycott next year's Olympic Games in Paris if the IOC allow Russia and Belarus to compete ©Getty Images

Russia's Andrei Chesnokov, French Open semi-finalist in 1989, criticised the decision.

“I don’t understand this," Chesnokov told Russia's official state news agency TASS.

"This decision only aggravates relations between people, sows more enmity, hatred. 

"This is a terrible decision, I have no idea what will happen next. 

"It is quite possible that people will be fined or tried for reading Chekhov’s books or listening to Tchaikovsky's music. 

“You see, tennis players can’t help but communicate, they constantly see each other at competitions. 

"I myself talked with Ostapenko, with her mother, they have a wonderful family, they all speak Russian, maybe they should also be fined for this? 

"It’s just it's absurd to deprive them of funding just because they play with the Russians."