The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the NOC condemn the murder of the mother of Ukrainian athlete Svitlana Malkova by Russians

The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine have expressed condolences to Svitlana Malkova over the loss of her mother as a result of a rocket attack on Mykolaiv. This was reported by the Committee of Youth and Sports, UNN reports.

Details

The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the NOC of Ukraine have expressed their sincere condolences to Svitlana Malkova on the loss of her mother, Olena Syvanych, as a result of the rocket attack on Mykolaiv. Despite this tragedy, Svitlana Malkova, who is a heroic trampoline athlete and member of the Ukrainian national team, continues to compete at the World Cup in Cottbus, Germany. This competition has an important status as a qualifying event for the 2024 Olympic Games.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the NOC of Ukraine, in their appeals to the IOC, the International Gymnastics Federation and the German Gymnastics Federation, asked to suspend competitors who support the Russian war in Ukraine, including Kirill Kozlov, Danil Kazimov, Angela Bladtseva, Yana Lebedeva and Ivan Litvinovich, even in neutral status.

Despite appeals from the Ukrainian side, these athletes were still allowed to participate in the World Cup in Cottbus, Germany. This means that Svitlana Malkova has to compete on the same venue with athletes who support the war, which is de facto support for her mother's murder.

"The well-known sociological theory of the 'five handshakes' proves that Russian athletes participating in these competitions are literally a few handshakes away from Russian war criminals who directly made the decision to shell and launch the missile that killed the mother of the Ukrainian athlete," the Youth and Sports Committee writes.

Recall

Paris is preparing to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. Acknowledging the tense geopolitical context, the organizers are keen to focus on sports.