Ukraine bars its team from competing with Russia, Belarus in Olympics and all sport events

In the wake of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Kyiv has barred its national sports team from competing in Olympic events that include Russian and Belarusian athletes. According to Sky News, the announcement came on Friday after the Ministry of Sports published a decree on the issue. The decision came months after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) asserted that they will allow the Russian and Belarusian authorities to participate in the events as neutral athletes. In the past, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskky, condemned the stance maintained by the international body. The ban also expands to non-Olympic and Paralympic events. 

"Today, almost the entire sports world stands by the fact that the representatives of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Serbia should be excluded from the world cultural and sports context,” the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine asserted. “We cannot participate where they are present, thereby tolerating such decisions of international federations and legitimizing their return to major international events, to platforms where Russia could show that it is also part of the civilized world," Matviy Bidny added. In January, Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Guttsait hinted at boycotting the international competition. "Our position is unchanged," Guttsait asserted. "As long as there is a war in Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be in international competitions,” he added. 

The IOC calls the criticisms ‘Deplorable’ 

After several European nations hurled criticisms at the International body over the issue, IOC President Thomas Bach described the attack as “deplorable”. "It is deplorable to see that some governments do not want to respect the majority within the Olympic movement and all stakeholders, nor the autonomy of sport," Bach said. "It is deplorable to see that some governments do not want to respect the majority within the Olympic movement and all stakeholders, nor the autonomy of sport," Bach said. "It is deplorable that these governments do not address the question of double standards. We have not seen a single comment on their attitude on the participation of athletes from countries of the other 70 wars and armed conflicts around the world,” the IOC President added. The remarks from Bach came after the governments of Ukraine, Poland and the Czech Republic among others, disagreed with the IOC’s announcement. 

In the past, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted that letting Russian and Belarusian athletes participate in International sporting events would indicate that “terror is acceptable.” "In such circumstances, against the backdrop of such constant Russian terrorist attacks on our cities and villages, against the backdrop of constant Russian assaults that try to leave no single intact wall, it is even shocking that we have to convince international sports bureaucrats to refuse any support for the terrorist state," Zelenskyy asserted in one of his evening address. Meanwhile, Russia condemned the stance maintained by European nations over the issue. When the news of Ukraine planning to boycott International events broke out, the Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, stated that the plan is “doomed to fail”. "Any plans to squeeze Moscow out of the international sport because of its special military operation in Ukraine are doomed to fail," she asserted.