Lithuania Stripped of World Cup Stage for Excluding Russians

The competitions were supposed to take place in Kaunas. UIPM officially notified about the withdrawal of the right to host the competition. The President of the Lithuanian Modern Pentathlon Federation, Justinas Kinderis, acknowledged that the news was not a complete surprise, as UIPM leadership had repeatedly inquired about how the organizers intended to handle the participation of Russians and Belarusians. At the same time, Kinderis stated that he felt anger and disappointment. According to Kinderis, Lithuania hoped for a "simple human approach" from UIPM. As for the sporting aspect of the pentathlon scandal, Russians competed this year with national symbols at the European Championships (winning gold, silver, and bronze) and the World Championships (gold and three silvers), finishing second in the medal standings at both tournaments.