The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, warns of violent clashes in the event that athletes from Ukraine meet those from Russia and Belarus. "Joint participation in international sports competitions of Ukrainian athletes, many of whom lost relatives and friends in the war, as well as Russian and Belarusian athletes whose relatives kill Ukrainians, will lead to numerous conflicts on sports fields, which can result in injuries and even deaths among athletes," reads an appeal made on Wednesday by members of the Sports Committee of the German Bundestag from the Federal Foreign Office. – just on the day of their public session on "Integrity and Good Governance in Sport".
Michael Reinsch
Correspondent for sports in Berlin.
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Last weekend, the International Fencing Federation FIE decided to re-admit athletes from Russia and Belarus; the German association does not distance itself from the decision and did not share how its president Claudia Bokel voted.
The letter of the Ukrainian deputies continues: "Particularly dangerous are duels on fencing tracks and wrestling mats, but also in the field of firearms and archery. There will also be tensions, possible disputes and fights between athletes and the organisers of the competitions in the Olympic villages."
Kiev wants to prevent "neutral athletes"
In the appeal, the MEPs from Kiev appeal to the Federal Government and ask them to prevent athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in international competitions, as recently allowed by the World Boxing and Fencing Federations, by lifting their exclusion because of the Russian army's war of aggression against Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is aiming for athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate as so-called neutral athletes at next year's Summer Games in Paris.
Already in January, after the IOC called on the top federations of sport to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in Olympic qualifications, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had clearly criticized these plans. Opening the door to the Russian athletes again is the completely wrong way, she told the F.A.Z.: "The sport should be clear in its condemnation of the brutal war that Putin is waging against the Ukrainian civilian population."
The letter from Kiev, which was received by the Federal Foreign Office on March 3 asking it to be forwarded to parliament and the German Olympic Sports Confederation, goes on to say that it is inconceivable that Ukrainian athletes stand on a winner's podium next to Russian and Belarusian athletes, that representatives of the Russian Federation or Belarus evaluate competitions in which Ukrainian athletes participate.
More than 220 Ukrainian athletes killed in the war
The Verkhovna Rada is of the opinion that the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes at a time when the Russian Federation's war to annihilate the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian state is ongoing, constitutes blatant support for the war and an attempt to appease the aggressor. The letter states: "The proposals are an insult to the memory of the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens, including more than 220 Ukrainian athletes, who selflessly defended their homeland and lost their lives fighting for their future as a democratic European state."
According to the Ukrainian parliament, Russian aggression has led to massive destruction of Ukraine's sports infrastructure. More than 320 sports facilities were damaged, 87 were completely or partially destroyed. The damage amounts to more than 230 million euros.
"With the beginning of the large-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, the slogan 'Sport outside politics' has lost its raison d'être," the Ukrainian MPs write: "Russian and Belarusian athletes, including Olympic champions and Olympic medalists, endorse the war against Ukraine – the violence, murder and genocide of the Ukrainian people – by openly participating in Z-parades or silently engaging in this fiercest war. without having civil courage or taking a conscious position of our own when it comes to condemning this war." Russia and Belarus used athletes as an ideological weapon "to carry out their shameful propaganda and strengthen the fighting spirit of the Russian army and the zombified Russian people, and to influence the decisions of other states regarding Ukraine's support in the struggle for its freedom and independence, as well as its decision for Europe."