The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation have called on the International Gymnastics Federation to ban Russian gymnast Angelina Melnikova, who, despite receiving neutral status, publicly supports Russia's war against Ukraine, from international competitions.
This is reported by UNN with reference to the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine in Telegram.
Details
In its appeal, the Ukrainian side emphasized its unwavering position: representatives of aggressor countries should not participate in international sports events, even under a neutral flag.
As is known, gymnast Melnikova registered on the portal for preliminary voting of Putin's United Russia party. The athlete submitted her application for the 23rd electoral district (Voronezh region), organized training for children of Russian soldiers and helped raise funds for the families of the occupiers, and also published a photo with the symbol "z", which is a sign of support for the war.
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According to the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee of March 28, 2023, athletes who support armed aggression or are associated with the army and security structures of the Russian Federation cannot acquire neutral status.
Ukraine calls on the International Gymnastics Federation to carefully review the provided information and take measures to prevent Melnikova's participation in international competitions.
As long as the war initiated by Russia and supported by Belarus continues, their athletes have no place in the world sports arena
Let us remind you
Ukraine has appealed to the International Ski Mountaineering Federation with a demand to review the admission of Russian Varvara Prokhorova. According to open sources, the athlete is a serviceman of the Russian Federation, which contradicts the IOC recommendations.