The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to provisionally ban Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko from attending the Olympic Games in his capacity as head of Belarus' National Olympic Committee (NOC), IOC President Thomas Bach said on Monday.

Bach told a press conference following an IOC Executive Committee meeting of the vote to exclude the currently elected members of the executive board of the NOC of Belarus from all IOC events and activities, including the Olympic Games. 

"This includes, in particular, Mr. Alexander Lukashenko in his capacity as NOC President and legal representative of the NOC, Mr. Viktor Lukashenko in his capacity as NOC First Vice President and the person responsible for the NOC's operations and activities on a daily basis and Mr. Dmitry Baskov in his capacity as NOC executive board member," he said.

"The IOC has come to the conclusion that it appears that the current leadership has not appropriately protected the Belarusian athletes from political discrimination within the NOC, their member federations or the sports movement.  

"This is contrary to the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter therefore seriously affecting the reputation of the Olympic movement."

(Cover: Alexander Lukashenko in the swearing-in ceremony for a sixth term, Independence Palace, Minsk, Belarus, September 23, 2020. /CFP)