Latvia continues to oppose the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions, but the situation in the world is changing. According to former Latvian national team defender Ralph Freiberga, big money is increasingly playing a key role in this. The athlete stated that many sports organizations and federations in Latvia continue to actively resist the return of representatives from Russia and Belarus, but the situation looks different outside the country. "There are several problems. When we look at Latvia, many sports organizations and federations are fighting and opposing this. But if we look at Europe and the world, the sentiments there are quite different," noted Freiberga on TV24. He admitted that sometimes he feels as if Latvia is almost alone in defending its principles. "Sometimes it seems that Latvia is alone, as if we are the only idiots who continue to fight for justice, for Ukraine, and for these countries not to return to international sports," he said. In the opinion of the former hockey player, one of the main reasons for the changing position of many international sports organizations is money. "You can see how Russian capital works. Russia promises big money for returning to the federations," said Freiberga. He cited hockey as an example. After the suspension of the Russian and Belarusian national teams, international hockey, in his observations, faced a decline in financial inflows and the loss of some sponsors. "I see that some sponsors are leaving. If you are promised ten million... I heard that Belarus might also come with money. I don’t know the exact amounts, but when it comes to millions for the return of Russia, it is very difficult for many federations to say 'no'," he noted. According to Freiberga, it is precisely the financial factor that may explain why some international sports organizations today no longer hold such a firm position as before. At the same time, he positively assessed the stance of countries that continue to adhere to their previous principles. "It is good that there are countries like Latvia, as well as the Czech Republic and some other states, that continue to oppose this in hockey," emphasized the former defender of the national team. Yesterday it became known that the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) allowed Russian athletes to compete again in its competitions under the state symbols.