Oleksandr Usyk has pleaded with the International Olympic Committee not to allow Russian athletes to compete under a neutral banner at next year's Olympics.
The world heavyweight champion is a gold medalist from the 2012 London games, and has parlayed that into a career as the undisputed cruiserweight champion as well as the heavyweight ruler. He has also been on the front line in his native Ukraine during the Russian invasion of the country over the past year.
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has made it clear that after Russian athletes were banned from the games that she does not want a delegation from the country when they host next year's games. The IOC are trying to work alongside international sports federations and national Olympic committees in order to allow athletes to compete as neutrals, much to Usyk's annoyance.
