Ukraine to boycott sports competitions if 'neutral' athletes use their country's symbols

The Ministry believes that the International Olympic Committee's recommendations to suspend Russian and Belarusian athletes are not effective enough.

Thus, non-competitive athletes from aggressor countries participate in competitions to prevent the involvement and licensing of Ukrainian athletes in the Olympic Games.

"Therefore, we are adjusting our strategy and supporting the participation of our athletes in all international sporting events where there are no representatives of the Russian Federation and Belarus under the national flag and those who support the war against Ukraine," the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine notes.

At the same time, Ukraine continues to expand the database of athletes and coaches from aggressor countries who support the war against Ukraine. The Ministry will strictly monitor compliance with the safety requirements of our athletes and their fans by the organizers of international competitions.

At the same time, in the case of facts that "neutral athletes" with Russian or Belarusian passports use national symbols, actions or statements that show affiliation with the aggressor countries, Ukraine will:

• record the fact of violation of the "neutral" status and the recommended conditions set by the International Olympic Committee;
• protest to the organizer of international competitions;
• in case the organizers of the competition refuse to resolve the violation, the national team of Ukraine will cease to participate in specific sports competitions.

Ukraine's boycott of competitions with Russia and Belarus

In the spring, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine issued an order banning Ukrainian national teams from competing with Russian and Belarusian athletes. The restrictions applied to Olympic, non-Olympic, and Paralympic sports.

However, the Ministry later changed its decision regarding the participation of Ukrainians in competitions with Russians. Now, instead of a "ban," the order states "not to send" Ukrainian delegations to compete with athletes from Russia and Belarus.

Recently, Minister of Sports Vadym Hutzayt announced a reconsideration of the decision to boycott the competition. He said that the condition for this decision was, among other things, the refusal of the International Olympic Committee to send official invitations to Russia and Belarus. He also stated that Ukrainian athletes will not shake hands with Russians at competitions.