Ukraine ’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba was left sickened by the prospect of allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in the next Olympic Games. Following their invasion of Ukraine in February, the IOC board recommended banning the two nation’s athletes and officials from participation in international competitions, including the Olympics.
Last month, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) voted to kick out Russia and Belarus from the governing body. But following comments from the IOC President Thomas Bach in reference to a statement from French President Emmanuel Macron, Kuleba took to Twitter to express his displeasure with the statement and accused them of “using sports to whitewash war crimes.”
“Since February, Russia has killed 184 Ukrainian athletes,” he said. “And now Mr. Bach is quoting Emmanuel Macron as allegedly saying ‘sports should not be politicised’ and athletes from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus should be treated equally. Using sports to whitewash war crimes is sickening.”
