Olympics

Ukraine calls for exclusion of Russians & Belarusians

(Bild: AFP)

Ukraine has called for the exclusion of athletes from Russia and Belarus from the Olympic Games in Paris! 

They had been informed that some of the neutral athletes who had already qualified were supporting the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, they said in an open letter on Friday. The letter was addressed to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Wrestling Federation (UWW) by the National Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Youth and Sport and the national wrestling association.

Ten wrestlers were named in the letter - including the Russian freestyle specialists Saur Uguyev and Saurbek Sidakov, who both won gold at the last Games in Tokyo in 2021. Several links to videos and social media posts are attached to the letter as alleged evidence.

Prevent participation in international competitions
The letter calls on the IOC and the UWW to do everything possible to prevent Belarusian and Russian athletes who belong to a military organization or support the war from participating in international competitions - including the Olympic Games in Paris from 26 July to 11 August.

As long as Russian troops with the support of the Belarusian government were waging this brutal war against people from Ukraine, athletes from these countries should not be allowed to participate in international tournaments under a neutral flag, the statement continued.