THE SIDELINES : Baltic Republics Seek Olympic Slot

The Baltic republics of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania hope to achieve partial Olympic recognition by the 1992 Games and total sports freedom after that, the Latvian sports minister said today.

The three republics, which had independent Olympic committees from the mid-1920s until 1940, now supply athletes to Soviet national teams.

Latvia and its Baltic neighbors went to the Soviet sports committee in Moscow last December seeking autonomy and were rejected, Sports Minister Daumants Znatnajs said through an interpreter. But they returned a month ago and were told such a move would be considered.

Znatnajs said he hopes that as a first step, Baltic competitors will have the name of their republic written beside the familiar CCCP (the Cyrillic letters meaning USSR) on jerseys at the 1992 Olympics. He also said the republics want to march under their own flags in opening and closing ceremonies.