The head of the NOC wants our athletes to participate in the Olympics, but Ukraine’s final position on participation is not yet clear
Chapter National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine Vadim Gutzeit spoke about what Ukraine has achieved in terms of removing Russians from international competitions, and about the further actions of the NOC in relation to “neutral” athletes who will be admitted to the 2024 Olympics.
“I believe that so much has been done over these two years to ensure that Russians are not at the Olympic Games. In general, a lot has been done. First, the Russian NOC was suspended from the IOC. There is no flag, no symbolism. In many sports they were not allowed, in many they were allowed, but they no longer have time to get to the Olympic Games. They are not allowed in team sports. Usually at the Olympic Games their representation was 300-350 athletes, now if there are 50-70 athletes without any sign that they are from Russia…”
“Therefore, I believe that the NOC, the ministry, and I personally have done a lot. Together with our athletes, coaches, federation, to defend and agree so that they are not allowed. There are 51 licenses, 2024 begins – I’m sure there will be many more. And it is very important that our banner be at the Olympic Games. We have already shown this at the European Games in Poland: the whole world saw that Ukraine was, is and will be. And it is very important that everyone in Paris feels that the Ukrainian national team will enter the stadium. Everyone will be sailing there on boats, and there will be our boat, Ukrainian, with our flag, and the whole world will be watching. Therefore, I really want our team to participate and for us to be there. But today the main thing is to fight for licenses. And then we’ll see.”
“Additional steps [от МОК], I think it won’t happen anymore. The IOC provided all the conclusions and recommendations on who they will admit, who and how to check. We now need to collect our admission base, which of them does not meet the criteria that the IOC developed based on our recommendations, and work out this issue. But what we are already hearing from that country is that they are not treated so honestly, that they are not allowed to fly under their flag… You know, today in many cities – Kyiv, Dnieper, Lvov – people died from incoming missiles. We are losing people, Ukrainians, cities. More than 400 athletes have already died. We have lost approximately 500 sports facilities. And how should we look at this when there is a full-scale war, our territories are occupied and our Ukrainians are dying? Therefore, they have no place in the international arena and the Olympic Games.”
In early December, the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to admit participants from Russia and Belarus in the status of “individual neutral athletes” to the 2024 Olympic Games.
Acting Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Matvey Bedny called the IOC decision “irresponsible.” The official said that the decision regarding the participation of Ukrainian athletes at the Olympics will be made after consultations with the Ukrainian sports community and the country’s top political leadership.
Earlier, in October, the IOC officially suspended the activities of the Russian Olympic Committee for violating the Olympic Charter. The reason was the inclusion of “Olympic councils” from the occupied territories of Ukraine into the latter. However, the governing body did not change the conditions for the admission of “neutral” athletes.
IOC President Thomas Bach previously called Ukraine’s position, which opposed the admission of all athletes from aggressor countries, “unconstructive,” and recently stated that he “is not afraid of a boycott of the 2024 Olympic Games by Ukraine.”
On the night of December 29, as well as this morning, Russia carried out a large-scale combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine. According to official data, Russia fired 158 missiles and drones at our country. The Ukrainian Air Force destroyed 114 targets. According to the latest information, at least 18 residents of Ukraine were killed and another 132 people were injured. Among the dead is the famous ex-basketball player and coach Viktor Kobzisty.
Early in the morning of February 24, 2022, Russia fired rockets and aerial bombardment of most Ukrainian cities, and then launched a full-scale military invasion. The war against Russia has continued for the 674th day.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
