Belarus leader 'blacklisted' from Olympics

Belarus' sports-mad President Alexander Lukashenko will not be able to attend the London Olympics because of EU sanctions against his regime, the British embassy in Minsk said Wednesday. In January 2011, the European Union reinstated a travel ban against Lukashenko after the government launched an opposition crackdown in the wake of disputed elections.
The Belarussian leader, an avid sportsman who also heads the country's National Olympic Committee, "is on the list of persons denied entry into the EU," British embassy spokeswoman Inna Romashevskaya told AFP. "This ban remains in effect and will be working during the Olympic Games. This decision will not be changed," she said two days before Friday's opening ceremony in London. The EU sanctions against Belarus were imposed after a crackdown on Lukashenko's political opposition following controversial elections in December 2010, which resulted in many opposition leaders being convicted and jailed.