Poland expels 15 Russians and Belarusians after attempted participation in karate tournament — Notes from Poland

In the Polish city of Bielsko-Biała, 15 citizens of Belarus and the Russian Federation — an aggressor state — were detained after arriving to take part in the youth karate world championships. They included 11 Belarusians and four Russians, Notes from Poland reports.

Departure within eight days

Polish Border Guard spokesman Szymon Mościcki said that the foreigners entered the country on tourist visas, which did not correspond to the declared purpose of their stay. After being detained, they were ordered to leave Poland within eight days, the shortest possible time frame.

The World Karate Championships for cadets, juniors and athletes under 21 ended in Bielsko-Biała on the eve of the announcement of the detentions. At the beginning of October, the Russian agency TASS wrote that young Russian athletes planned to compete in the tournament.

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Polish ban on participation

The World Karate Federation allows Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag. At the same time, Poland does not allow athletes from these countries to take part in tournaments on its territory. President of the Polish Karate Union Paweł Połtorzecki said that Russian and Belarusian athletes attempted to participate in the competition despite the union's warning not to come.

According to him, the first signal was the appearance of a Russian citizen at a refereeing course, after which the first detention took place. Gazeta Wyborcza reported that Russian karate athletes had obtained tourist visas in other Schengen countries. Poland does not issue tourist visas to Russian citizens.