2023-12-09 21:04:52
He Ukrainian sports world has harshly condemned the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow Russians and Belarusians to participate in the Paris Olympic Games under bandera neutral as long as they do not support “actively” the invasion. “We are disappointed with the decision,” he told Efe. Sergui Stajovskyformer professional tennis player and participant in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Admitting competitors under a “neutral” flag is unfair while Ukraine is under attack, said Stajovsky, who stressed that the Olympic Games They have to do with fair play. “And what kind of fair play can we talk about if our athletes haven’t been able to return home for two years and have to worry about their families, whom they could kill or have already killed?” he asks. rhetorically.
Like many other Ukrainian athletes, Stakhovsky has been fighting in the ranks of his country’s defense forces since the start of the invasion. While he was witness of destruction that she brought to Ukraine, she did not receive a single word of support from Russian or Belarusian tennis players. According to the Ministry of Sports of Ukraine, 397 athletes and coaches have died since the start of the invasion and more than 500 stadiums or training centers have been damaged.
“It’s not just about these Olympic Games. It is possible that the next generation of athletes will not be able to appear in Ukraine,” lamented Stajovsky.
Decision that encourages Russia
Stajovsky is one of many Ukrainian sports representatives who have expressed frustration with the decision. The acting Minister of Sports, Matví Bidnyidescribed it as “irresponsible” and stressed that there is no room for “neutrality” in the face of “the bloodiest war” in Europe since the Second World War, in which one nation tries to destroy another.
“Russia is the only country that has violated the Olympic truce three times,” he said in a statement published on Friday.
He Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine considers the decision “wrong” and in a note stressed that it has informed the IOC and its international partners about its risks. There is no doubt that the Kremlin will use every Russian and Belarusian athlete as a weapon in its war propaganda, stated the Foreign Minister, Dmitro Kulebaaccording to the statement.
The Ministry also warns that some of the athletes who are planned to be allowed to compete not only sympathize with the murder of women y ukrainian children, but possibly they are directly involved in it, since they have links with the armed forces. In this way, the members of the IOC governing board are responsible for encouraging Russia already Belarus to continue its aggression against Ukraine, the statement concludes.
Ukrainian representatives have so far not revealed whether their country will participate in the Olympic Games, after they have taken place calls for boycott. “We will make the decision later, after consulting with the Ukrainian sports community and the country’s top political officials,” says Bidnyi.
The rules to establish whether a “neutral” athlete is involved in Russian aggression against Ukraine should be very clearaccording to Olga Saladuja, acting president of the Ukrainian athletics federation. “Ukrainians have to participate in this procedure,” she stressed.
“Our athletes should participate in the Olympic Games,” says Stajovsky, who warns against ceding the international stage to Russian and Belarusian representatives. The ukrainian athletes they should be prepared to know to do in case they have to face “neutral” Russians and Belarusians, he said.
Stajovsky alluded to the case of Olga Jarlan, an Olympic gold medalist in fencing, who was disqualified from this year’s World Championships for refusing to shake the hand of a Russian opponent. “With each sports federation it would be necessary to carry out a careful work to consider each scenario,” he said.
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