Ukrainian sports leaders have called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to maintain sanctions against Russian and Belarusian athletes. This was reported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, UNN reported.
Details
Minister of Youth and Sports Matviy Bidnyi, NOC President Vadym Gutzeit, and head of the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation Iryna Deryugina said that athletes from Russia and Belarus cannot participate in international competitions, even under neutral status, as long as Russia continues its war against Ukraine with the support of the Belarusian regime.
Ukraine reaffirms its unwavering position in connection with the ongoing large-scale military aggression of the Russian Federation, supported by Belarus, against our country. We firmly believe that representatives of aggressor countries should be excluded from participation in any international sporting events, regardless of their status
It emphasizes that many Russian athletes who have been granted neutral status openly support the aggression or have participated in propaganda activities. Among them are Lala Kramarenko, Daniel Marinov, Victoria Listunova, Nikita Nagorny and others.
For example, in September 2022, after the announcement of mobilization in Russia, David Belyavsky, the 2019 European Games champion, three-time Olympic medalist and four-time world champion, said in an interview with a Russian propaganda resource that he was ready to leave gymnastics and go to war against Ukraine if he received a call-up. And Maxim Khodykin, a representative of the Russian national gymnastics team, took up arms and went to kill Ukrainians. For his crimes on the territory of Ukraine, the gymnast was awarded the medal of the Russian Ministry of Defense "Participant of a Special Military Operation.
Ukraine requires that athletes affiliated with military structures or those who support the war remain suspended from international sports.
Recall
Sturla's Olympic champion Holm Legreid raises funds for Ukraine, while the IBU does not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes as "neutral".