The Ukrainian biathlete is confident that isolating athletes from an aggressor country and an accomplice country is an effective method of pressure
Ukrainian biathlete Dmitry Pidruchny spoke about his attitude towards athletes from Russia and Belarus.
“Sport, whether in Russia or Belarus, is a propaganda tool. The whole world saw what happened in the first month of the full-scale invasion at the Luzhniki stadium, how many athletes were invited there to support the armed attack on Ukraine. So now allowing them to perform and glorify their country is unacceptable.”
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“The thought that we can meet them in the same arenas is beyond my head. This is quite dangerous – both for us and for them. Now the exclusion of athletes from Russia and Belarus from international competitions is one of the methods of putting pressure on these countries. It is important that they are isolated until they end the war and withdraw troops from the entire territory of Ukraine.”
“Some wrote from both Belarus and Russia. But these were single messages. And it was not always clear what exactly they meant – be it support for the Ukrainian nation, which is defending its independence, or neutral messages that everything will end soon. Or messages where it is unclear whether they support or condemn the invasion.”
“There were literally several messages from some athletes representing these countries who did not support the actions of their authorities. But these messages were literally in the first weeks of the war, after which no one wrote. Now I don’t keep in touch with any athlete from these two countries.”
“I think the international sports community remembers the war in Ukraine and will continue to support us. And for my part, I will continue to remind you that there is a war in Ukraine, rocket attacks are taking place, people are dying.”
Let us recall that on February 26, 2022, on the third day of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag.
However, already in March of the same year, the governing body made a unanimous decision to exclude the federation of Russia and Belarus from its members.
In September 2022, the disqualification of representatives of the aggressor country and the collaborator country was extended indefinitely.
In the early hours of February 24, 2022, Russia launched rocket and air strikes on most Ukrainian cities and then launched a full-scale military invasion. The war against Russia has continued for the 630th day.
Source: Sportarena
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