The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine and the national Paralympic team of Ukraine stated that from the very beginning of the XIV Winter Paralympic Games, the national Paralympic team of Ukraine, its athletes and coaches have been subjected to systematic pressure from representatives of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Games organizing committee. The official statement was published on March 11 on the website of the NPC of Ukraine, writes UNN.
The team's leadership and its members tried to avoid a radical reaction to these manifestations of pressure, hoping that they were accidental and not biased towards the Ukrainian team. However, recent events have shown that these manifestations are systematic and are becoming critical and shameful towards both the team and its members.
Ukraine cited four examples of pressure on the national team:
1. The Ukrainian Paralympic team, with the permission of a representative of the Organizing Committee, hung a Ukrainian flag on the building where they live, which the team had hung on their residences at the four previous Paralympic Games – without objections from the IPC leadership and the Organizing Committee.
Some time after the flag was placed, a representative of the Organizing Committee appeared and forced them to remove it. When the team's leadership asked why and on what specific regulatory basis this was done, there was no answer.
For more than two days, IPC representatives constantly told us that they were thinking about where the Ukrainian team would be allowed to hang the flag on the building where the team lives. Finally, the Ukrainian flag was allowed to be placed where it was less visible.
2. Every evening, the team gathers for 10-15 minutes in the common hall of the building where we live with other teams, for a brief summary and to determine plans for the next day.
And in this regard – every day, representatives of the Organizing Committee and the IPC put pressure on the team and its members about the inadmissibility of this short gathering as something prohibited by some unclear document or regulation.
3. At the award ceremony for our champion Oleksandra Kononova, an IPC representative harshly tried to take away small earrings with the Ukrainian flag, on which "Stop War" was written.
Our champion was forced to remove her earrings, without explaining the reason for the danger of a woman's jewelry for the medal ceremony of a Paralympic Games champion.
4. The national Paralympic team of Ukraine was particularly struck by the cynical and illegal actions of IPC and Organizing Committee representatives regarding the family of Taras Rad, champion and medalist of the XIV Winter Paralympics.
The Ukrainian family of Paralympian Taras Rad left Ternopil region to support him in the fight for a victorious Ukrainian result. The family, consisting of eight people, bought tickets themselves and tried to get to the biathlon competition stands to see their native athlete in his fight for victory.
Representatives of the IPC and the Organizing Committee took away Ukrainian flags from the champion's family, women's scarves with Ukrainian national ornaments were taken from the women of the family, and it was stated that this was done in accordance with IPC rules.
The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine demands that the IPC leadership begin the process of returning to the provisions of the IPC Constitution, and in accordance with them, coordinate the activities of the IPC executive bodies during the implementation of their functions at the XIV Winter Paralympic Games.