Ukraine bans national sports teams from participating in competitions with Russian, Belarusian athletes

The Ukrainian Ministry of Youth and Sports issued a decree on April 12 banning all official delegations of national sports teams from participating in international competitions where athletes from Russia or Belarus are present.

Aside from banning national teams from participating in competitions with Russian and Belarusian representatives, the Ministry recommended that sports federations “monitor the possible involvement of athletes from the Russian Federation and/or The Republic of Belarus in international sports competitions.”

This decision comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended returning Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sporting events.

Following the IOC’s decision, the government of Ukraine decided that Ukrainian athletes must boycott tournaments with Russian or Belarusian participants.

So far, over 30 countries have urged the IOC to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes to no avail.

In an interview with the Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Gutzeit said that 262 athletes and coaches have already been killed in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s all-out war.

Ukraine’s sports minister: As Russia kills our athletes, it’s not the time to allow Russians back to international sports

Editor’s Note: This interview was recorded before the International Olympics Committee’s announcement on allowing some Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in Olympic qualification tournaments. Following the executive board meeting on March 28, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) rec…

Kyiv IndependentAnastasiya Gordiychuk