KYIV, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Ukraine hopes to secure widespread international support for banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Paris Olympics due to Moscow’s invasion, the sports minister said on Tuesday.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is open to including Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals at the 2024 Games and has opened a door to them competing in qualifiers.
At least 220 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have died in the war, Huttsait said, with over 340 sports facilities damaged or ruined. However, there was little official support from other countries for a complete ban on Russians in Paris.
Russia says a “special military operation” in Ukraine is planned to protect its security, denies allegations of atrocities and says attempts to banish Russia from global sport will fail.
Moscow said on Tuesday it would welcome any move by the IOC to allow athletes to participate in the Olympics after the world’s top sports governing body considered options for a return to international competition.
“The International Olympic Committee is trying to enable our athletes to participate in international competitions,” said Stanislav Pozdnyakov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee.
“Of course, future Olympics may also welcome it,” he added, warning of “additional requirements” imposed on Russian athletes. “Life is more important than medals”
The IOC’s previous recommendations to ban Russians and Belarusians have been implemented by many sports federations.
But last week it backed the Olympic Council of Asia’s proposal to allow competition in Asia, which could include Olympic qualifying events.
In that case, Ukrainian sports officials and athletes would face a “very difficult decision” on whether to boycott Paris, Huttsait said.
“If we lose so many people, so many athletes, the lives of Ukrainians are more important than any medal in an international competition,” he said.
Ukrainian officials recently opposed the IOC for promoting “violence, mass murder and destruction” on the idea of giving Russia a “platform to promote genocide.”
The IOC called this defamation and said such language does not promote constructive debate. On Tuesday, former boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, brother of Kyiv’s mayor, urged IOC president Thomas Bach not to betray the Olympic spirit and become an “accomplice in this heinous war” by allowing Russia to compete.
Moscow is off the page of years of doping scandals after the team was forced to compete at the Olympics and major international events without its flag or anthem.
