Let's make Russia small again. Lithuanian athlete suspended from World Championship for slogan about the RF.

The Lithuanian athlete has been excluded from the World Championship in functional fitness

The World Championship in functional fitness is taking place in Budapest (Hungary), with athletes from various countries, including Lithuania, Russia, and Belarus.

According to the Delfi publication, a member of the Lithuanian team, Kornelija Dudaite, expressing her stance, decided to wear a t-shirt with the slogan 'Let's make Russia small again'. The organizers of the championship noticed this and suspended the athlete from participating in the competition.

Later, the Lithuanian federation of functional fitness announced a complete withdrawal from the tournament.

Following this, the Lithuanian federation of functional sports decided to fully withdraw from the championship due to the organizers' misunderstanding of the 'neutral flag' policy. Participants were allowed to display the symbolism of the aggressor country, which could be seen during the live broadcast and heard being mentioned. This situation contradicts the values of the Lithuanian federation of functional sports, thus they recommend their team members to leave the competition.

It is also reported that Ukraine has appealed to the president of the International World Games Association requesting to maintain the ban on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in upcoming competitions, as Russian aggression continues.

In its address, Ukraine reminded of the position of the International World Games Association, which banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in competitions in 2022. Ukraine calls to uphold these restrictions in future competitions in 2025.

Ukraine relies on further support for its position from the International World Games Association and the sports movement as a whole.