Ukraine's Sports Minister, Vadym Huttsait, has revealed that 262 Ukrainian athletes have lost their lives, and 363 sports facilities have been destroyed since Russia invaded and started a war in the country.
Huttsait disclosed this during a meeting with Morinari Watanabe, the
President of the International Federation of Gymnastics, on Saturday.
In his address, Huttsait expressed his
displeasure at the damages done by Vladimir Putin's Russia and called for a ban
on Russian athletes' participation in the Olympics and other sports
competitions. He said, "They all support this war and attend events held
in support of this war."
Although the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) has recommended the gradual return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to
international competition as neutrals, Ukraine has made it clear that its
athletes will not be released to participate in qualifying events for the 2024
Games if they have to compete against Russians.
While no global or continental organization
has verified the number of Ukrainian athletes who have lost their lives, the
IOC criticized the decision of the war-torn country not to allow its athletes
to take part in Games against Russians, according to Reuters.
In the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion
of Ukraine in February 2022, a significant number of Ukrainian national-level
athletes have voluntarily taken up arms to defend their country. The casualties
of the war include figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, who died in combat near
Bakhmut, and Volodymyr Androshchuk, a 22-year-old decathlon champion and future
Olympic hopeful.
Post a Comment