Although almost 10 months have passed since Russia’s armed attack on Ukraine, world sport still does not speak with one voice when it comes to the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions. Although the International Olympic Committee extended the sanctions against the athletes of these countries, it is remembered that some of them were allowed to compete in the Games under a neutral flag. More than 100 international sports federations have supported the exclusion of Russians and Belarusians, but in some disciplines, such as boxing, players from these countries can already compete under their own flag. The Russian lobby is lobbying international committees, trying to convince them that sport has nothing to do with politics.
Olha Saladucha argues otherwise. The 2012 Olympics bronze medalist in the triple jump, and since 2019 a member of Ukraine’s parliament, is one of the key people on the commission fighting for full and tough sanctions for athletes who support Vladimir Putin’s actions. And it does not matter whether they openly support him or receive such an order, for example, because they train in military clubs.
I am convinced that there are no hopeless situations. Each athlete has the option of expressing their opinion out loud or withdrawing silently. It shouldn’t be about contracts and material goods, but about the lives of millions of people, Saładucha said in an interview with Norwegian station NRK.
So far, 56 names have been included in the “black list” of the Ukrainian parliament. Among them are: ski racer Aleksandr Bolshunov, who showed up at the Luzhniki stadium for the event celebrating the annexation of Crimea, gymnast Ivan Kuliak, who stood on the World Cup podium with the letter Z on his uniform, a symbol of support for the Russian Invasion, as well as athletes who openly proclaimed the correctness of the attack on Ukraine: Veronika Stepanova, Aleksandr Legkov (cross-country skiing), Sergei Kariakin (chess), Nikolai Valuev (boxing) and Nikita Nagorny (gymnastics).
– Ukraine will impose the introduction of severe sanctions until the last Russian soldier leaves Lugansk, Donetsk, Crimea and Mariupol. Our goal is to remove aggressive Russian propaganda from the sports world, says the former athlete.
Interestingly, the “black list” also included an athlete from Ukraine, football player Anatoly Tymoshchuk. The former captain of the home team still works as an assistant coach at Zenit Saint Petersburg and completely ignores comments that he is collecting money from the Russians who murdered tens of thousands of his compatriots.
– These traitors are no different from racists and also deserve proper treatment – ends Saładucha.
The London Olympic bronze medalist believes that the sanctions imposed on all those on the “blacklist” should include such drastic measures as the freezing of property and financial assets belonging to athletes, as well as a total ban on enter Ukraine and the European Union. .
IR, Polsat Sports
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