Ukraine’s sports ministry has banned delegations that officially represent the country from participating in international competitions involving Russia and Belarus.
This was officially announced on Friday by the ministry itself.
The ban comes after a decision by the Ukrainian government in late March. The day before, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had recommended that athletes from Russia and Belarus be admitted to international competitions under a neutral flag.
Ukraine is also pushing for a boycott of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Ukraine’s deputy sports minister, Matvi Bidny, told Reuters news agency that the ban did not apply to competitions where participants represent themselves or their clubs instead of their countries. “The decision only affects opponents with Russian or Belarusian passports,” he added.
The IOC criticised Ukraine’s decision. "It is not for governments to decide which athletes can or cannot participate in international competitions," the committee said in a statement in late March.
Such a decision only harms the Ukrainian athlete community and national sports federations, the Committee said. It has no impact on the war that the world wants to end and that the IOC strongly condemns, it added.
Athletes who do not comply with the Ukrainian ministry’s rules risk losing their official status as members of national sports associations. The ban applies to both Olympic and non-Olympic sports.
However, not all Ukrainians agree with the decision. Olympic skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych and the Ukrainian tennis federation, among others, have criticised the ban.
