According to the country’s sports minister, Vadym Huttsait, 262 Ukrainian sportsmen have died in Russia’s war on Ukraine, and 363 sporting venues have been destroyed.
Huttsait told Morinari Watanabe, the visiting president of the International Federation of Gymnastics, that no Russian competitors should be permitted to compete in the Olympics or other sporting events.
According to a transcript posted on Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s website, Huttsait stated, “They all support this war and participate in activities held in support of this war.”
Russian and Belarusian athletes should gradually return to international competition as neutrals, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Regarding their participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics, no decision has been made.
On Friday, Ukraine announced that its competitors will not be permitted to compete in qualification.
The number of Ukrainian athletes who were slain or the number of facilities that were damaged could not be independently verified by Reuters.
Following Russia’s complete invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a number of Ukrainian national-level athletes have voluntarily enlisted in the armed forces to protect their nation.
Figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, who died in battle near Bakhmut, and future Olympian and 22-year-old decathlon champion Volodymyr Androshchuk were among the victims this year alone.
