UKRAINE AGAIN CALLS FOR EXCLUSION OF RUSSIANS FROM PARIS OLYMPICS

Fri 12 April 2024:

Ukraine has once again called for the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In an open letter on Friday, the country said some of the athletes competing under a neutral flag, who have qualified for the Games, support Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The letter was addressed to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United World Wrestling (UWW).

Ten wrestlers were named in the letter – including Russian freestyle specialists Zaur Uguev and Zaurbek Sidakov, who each won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Several links to videos and social media posts as alleged evidence were attached to the letter.

Recently, twice Olympic wrestling champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev was banned from upcoming qualifiers for this summer’s Paris Games because he has not met strict eligibility criteria for Russian athletes.

The UWW said that a panel, which determines whether Russians and Belarusians are allowed to compete under criteria set up by the IOC, found new information about Sadulaev’s support of the war.

Russians and Belarusians can only compete in Paris as neutral athletes without their national symbols and in individual sports. They must not speak out in support of the war and can not be affiliated with the military or other security agencies.

The IOC said recently it expects around 36 Russians and 22 Belarusians would qualify for the July 26-August 11 Games, pending the reviews.

Ukraine is calling 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 taking part in international competitions, including this summer’s Games.

The letter stated that as long as Russian troops are waging a brutal war against people from Ukraine with the support of the Belarusian government, Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be allowed to participate in international tournaments under a neutral flag.

-DPA

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