Paris says Belarusian ice hockey players searched at prosecutors' request
MINSK. May 5 (Interfax) - Searches of the Belarusian ice hockey team at the Montparnasse train station were carried out at the request of Paris prosecutors, the French Embassy in Minsk said, citing the country's being at the forefront of the fight against doping.
"The control, to which the Belarusian national ice hockey team was subjected on May 3, 2017, at the Montparnasse train station in Paris, was conducted by the customs services at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Paris," the embassy said in a statement posted on its official site on Friday.
The control "was carried in accordance with the rules and prescriptions currently in effect, and did not result in any incident," the embassy said.
The control "was carried out in the presence of dispatched police officers upon arrival of the train to ensure the security of the Belarusian national team throughout their stay in Paris," the embassy said.
"France has long been at the forefront of the fight against doping in high performance sport, both as a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency and as a member of the European Union and of the Council of Europe," the embassy said.
"This fight is consistent with the objectives set by the International Olympic Committee and major international sports federations," the embassy said.
"In strict accordance with the law, control procedures often take place during international sporting events such as Tour de France, the French Open, and the world cups and European championships hosted by France," the French embassy said.
"They do not target any particular nationality and aim to promote sport integrity and ethics," the embassy said.
The Belarusian national team on Wednesday arrived by train from Bordeaux to Paris where it is due to play group matches as part of the world ice hockey championship. Upon arrival to the French capital police searched the luggage of the team's head coach Dave Lewis, his assistances Craig Woodcroft and Oleg Antonenko and forwards Yegor Sharangovich and Andrei Kostitsyn.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry expressed its resolute protest to France over the inspection of the Belarusian ice hockey team, and demanded a thorough investigation of the incident. On Thursday the French ambassador in Minsk was summoned to the ministry.
This year the world ice hockey championship is held in Germany (Cologne) and France (Paris) on May 5-21.