Ukraine’s Olympic Committee demands suspension of Russians, Belarusians from all competitions

June 12, BPN. Serhiy Bubka, president of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee (NOC), has demanded that Belarusian and Russian athletes be suspended from all international competitions as representatives of the “aggressor countries,” the press office of Ukrainian NOC reported.

Bubka added that the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations fully supported this position.

The statement was released after the International Judo Federation had admitted Russian and Belarusian teams under a neutral flag to the competitions in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

On February 24, Russia started what it called a special military operation in Ukraine. Authorities in Minsk deny Belarusian army troops’ involvement in combat operations on the Russian side. At the same time, Russian army used Belarus for strikes on Ukraine.

On February 28, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that athletes and officials from Belarus and Russia should be excluded from international competitions. The IOC said it protected “the integrity of global sporting events and the safety of all participants.”

Belarusian and Russian athletes face restrictions in chess, biathlon, tennis, swimming, speed skating, and other disciplines and have been banned from a number of competitions since the start of the war in Ukraine, including the Beijing Paralympics, the IIHF World Championship, the Davis Cup, and the Billie Jean King Cup.