ISTANBUL

The Spanish education minister and government spokeswoman expressed Tuesday her country’s “openness” to discussing Israel’s participation in sports competition.

“Of course, Spain, along with the rest of the partners and EU countries, will also be willing to participate in this debate under the same premise that these double standards do not exist,” Pilar Alegria told the Council of Ministers, citing Russia’s exclusion from competitions, in a statement.

She noted, however, that Russia’s exclusion was decided by the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and the International Sports Federations.

“If this debate, regarding the participation of Israel, reaches the sports arena, first of all, it is up to the respective international committees and the international federations,” Alegria added.

The statement came after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez demanded Monday Israel's exclusion from the Eurovision song contest and other international competitions, drawing parallels between the response to Russia's war against Ukraine, and stressing the need for consistency in defending human rights and international law.​​​​​​​