Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been denied accreditation to the London Olympics because of the flawed presidential elections of 2010, the British Embassy in Belarus announced Wednesday.
Lukashenko is banned from travel to the European Union and had assets frozen after the vote, when he was accused of overseeing a brutal crackdown on opposition forces, arresting hundreds of people including presidential candidates.
The head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Alexander Zhukov, broke the news over Twitter earlier Wednesday that Lukashenko had been denied Games accreditation, and British diplomats in Minsk explained it later.
“President Alexander Lukashenko is on a list of people whose entry to the European Union is banned,” an embassy spokesman said. “This ban will be in force during the Olympics. There will be no change in this decision.”
Lukashenko is on a list of Belarusian officials banned from Europe “because of breach of international standards during the presidential elections in December 2010,” he said.
Zhukov was critical of the decision in his Tweet; Russia and Belarus share close political ties.
"The organizing committee in London did not give accreditation to National Olympic Committee President Alexander Lukashenko. Isn't sports outside politics?" Zhukov said.
The Olympics start in London on Friday, July 27, and run until August 12.
Lukashenko sent off his Olympic team to London earlier this month, setting them a target of 25 medals including five golds.
Lukashenko, labeled by the United States as Europe's last dictator, said in mid-July he thought the games were "politicized."
