Ukraine football legend Andriy Shevchenko has called for Russians to be banned for the next Olympic Games and insisted 'the war is not over'.
With the next edition of the prestigious event set to take place in Paris next year, there have been widespread calls for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to prevent those from the world's largest country competing. One of those people is the 2004 Ballon d'Or winner and he has pleaded with the IOC to condemn Russia and president Vladimir Putin's 'aggression' to help end the war.
“There is no politics in sport,” the Champions League winner wrote on social media. “But this war is more than just politics. Sports competitions of a high level, like the Olympics, are opportunities to share a message to all people on Earth at once.
“If athletes from Russia or Belarus enter the arena, with or without flags, it reflects this statement from the Olympics Committee to the whole world — the war is over, you can forgive everyone and forget everything. But the war is not over. Every day war destroys our cities, ruins the childhood of our kids and threatens our existence.
“The world must remember this. The world must know that we continue to fight for peace and defend our freedom. I urge Olympics to not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete until the war in Ukraine is over, and to strongly condemn Russian aggression.”
Russia are already being forced to compete under the Russian Olympic Commitee (ROC) banner after receiving a two-year ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2019 amid allegations of a state-sponsored doping program. Some sports took more extreme measures, such as Wimbledon organisers banning Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament last year.
After the war in Ukraine began last February, the IOC ordered organisers and international sports bodies not to invite or allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international competitions. However, the governing body may be making a U-Turn as they met late last month to state they are exploring the potential for Russians to be allowed to compete as neutral athletes in Paris.
A statement from the IOC said “no athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport”. It added: “Governments must not decide which athletes can participate in which competition and which athletes cannot." This was slammed by the UK’s Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan who claimed the IOC is out of touch with reality for announcing the move amid ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“At this critical time, the International Olympic Committee is now looking at a pathway for Russia and Belarus to be represented in Paris," she said. “I want to be clear that this position from the IOC is a world away from the reality of war being felt by the Ukrainian people.
“IOC President Bach’s own words less than a year ago strongly condemned Russia for breaking the Olympic Truce and urged it to ‘give peace a chance.’ We will strongly condemn any action taken that allows President Putin to legitimise his illegal war in Ukraine - a position the IOC previously shared.
“We, and many other countries, have been unequivocal on this throughout, and we will now work urgently across like-minded countries to ensure that solidarity continues on this issue.”
