Ukraine condemned the admission of Russians to gymnastics competitions with national symbols and called on the sports community not to support the cynical decision
Kyiv • UNN
Ukraine condemns the admission of athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus to competitions under national flags. Due to the enemy's aggression, 852 Ukrainian sports facilities have been damaged.
Ukraine condemns the latest decisions of the International Gymnastics Federation and European Gymnastics regarding the admission of athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus to international competitions under national symbols. This is stated in a joint statement by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Minister of Youth and Sports Matvii Bidnyi, reports UNN.
"We strongly condemn the latest decisions of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and European Gymnastics regarding the admission of athletes from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus to international competitions under national symbols. Such steps contradict the fundamental principles of justice, solidarity, and peace upon which international sport should be based,"
Sybiha and Bidnyi noted that nothing has changed: Russia continues its illegal and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, killing civilians every day, and destroying Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure. As a result of the Russian war, 852 sports infrastructure facilities in Ukraine have already been destroyed or damaged, including sports schools, gyms, stadiums, and athlete training bases.
"Ukrainian athletes continue to train under conditions of constant danger, air raids, shelling, and limited access to sports infrastructure. Many athletes have been forced to leave their homes and have lost the opportunity for full-scale preparation. Against this background, the return of representatives of the aggressor states under national flags creates a false signal of the alleged 'normalization' of the situation and effectively ignores the war and crimes that Russia continues to commit against the Ukrainian people,"
Ukraine calls on the General Assembly, the international sports community, national federations, and all partners not to support the cynical decision of the Executive Committee, remaining faithful to the principles of the Olympic movement, international law, and human dignity.
"Sport cannot be a platform for the legitimization of aggressor states and their propaganda,"