(Kyiv) Ukrainian tennis player and Olympic bronze medalist Elina Svitolina has pushed for a complete ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Paris Games in 2024, in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Svitolina, who won a singles bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, visited Ukraine for the first time since Russia invaded the country on February 24.
“It will be very sad, and the wrong message would be sent to the world if the Olympics maintained their decision to admit them [la Russie et la Biélorussie] under a neutral banner, said the athlete from Odessa. I don’t think this is the right decision. »
Svitolina, who had a baby with her husband Gael Monfils in October, explained that sport and politics are inseparable in Russia.
“You can see that in Russia sport is linked to the government,” informed the Ukrainian player.
The Ukrainian Olympic Committee has not committed to a boycott of the Olympics, but has approved plans to try to persuade international sports leaders over the next two months – these include a discussion of a possible boycott. The leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania also urged the International Olympic Committee to ban Russia and announced a boycott was a possibility.
They raised concerns about Russia’s use of the Paris Games as a propaganda showcase, and pointed out that there are close ties between some athletes and the Russian military.
“A boycott would be one of the options, because obviously what the Russian army is doing to the Ukrainian people, to Ukraine, it’s a horrible thing for us,” Svitolina said. I can’t imagine going to the Olympics like nothing happened in Ukraine. »
The Olympic medal-winning athlete traveled to the country as an ambassador for United 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s platform to raise donations.
