Belarus’s human rights record has caused a sports coalition, the Sports and Rights Alliance, to voice their concern about holding the 2019 European Games in Minsk. In a letter to the European Olympic Committees, they called on the committees to speak out "with immediate effect" and warned them that Belarus has failed to uphold basic standards on the right to protest, press freedom and workers' rights. The sports organizations pointed out that this is against the Olympic charter, which calls for respect for human dignity and universal fundamental principles.