Russian high jump star and reigning Olympic champion Mariya Lasitskene has called for International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach to intervene and end sanctions imposed on Russian athletes amid the invasion of Ukraine.
After president Vladimir Putin announced the military invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, the sporting world banded together to condemn his actions and ban Russian athletes from competition. All athletes, support personnel and officials from Russia and Belarus were banned from World Athletics events, while football also clamped down and Wimbledon controversially announced no Russian or Belarusian players would be allowed to compete.
The IOC followed suit, and banned athletes from the two countries from competing. However, Lasitskene has addressed the issue publicly in an open letter to Bach.
