Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach his “disappointment” over recent discussions about the possible reintegration of Russian and Belarusian athletes into international competitions, which the Ukrainian presidency announced this Wednesday.
“Vladimir Zelensky expressed his disappointment with the presence of the president of the Russian Olympic Committee at the Olympic summit on November 9 and with discussions about the reintegration of Russian and Belarusian athletes into international competitions under a neutral flag,” the message says. statement.
“Since February, 184 Ukrainian athletes have died as a result of Russia’s actions. You cannot try to be neutral when the foundations of peaceful life are being destroyed and universal values are being ignored,” Zelensky said in a statement.
The leader criticized the Russian sports world for its “silence” since the start of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine on February 24, adding that “the silence of athletes, coaches and officials supports Russian aggression.”
According to Zelensky, “Russia uses sports for propaganda purposes.”
“Therefore, the only just response to such actions is the complete isolation of the terrorist state at the international level, especially as far as international sporting events are concerned,” the statement said.
The IOC president said last week in Lausanne that it was necessary to “explore ways” to reinstate Russian and Belarusian athletes who have been banned from international competition since late February due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“We need to find ways to overcome this dilemma of athlete participation in order to return to the virtues of sport and not political meddling,” Thomas Bach told reporters.
Following the results of the 11th “Olympic Summit” in Lausanne, which brought together the Olympic organization and representatives of international federations, athletes, national and continental Olympic committees, the IOC announced that it was considering the possibility of the gradual reintegration of Russian and Belarusian athletes into international sports. competitions., which could start with events held in Asia.
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has also expressed support for the reintegration of Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral flag ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.