Elina Svitolina: Ukrainian tennis star repeats calls to ban Russia and Belarus from Olympics

CNN
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Ukrainian tennis star and Olympic bronze medalist Elina Svitolina has repeated calls to ban Russia from the Olympics in a statement published on social media on Wednesday.

The Olympics are the greatest dream and ultimate privilege of athletes. They are the biggest platform for inclusion and diversity in sports and they will catch the world’s attention, former world No. 3 Svitolina said.

With this in mind, we must continue to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and send a strong message to the world that we agree with the sanctions against Russia and Belarus and that there are consequences for the horrific actions of their governments. their lives cannot go on as normal, and neither the world nor the Russians or the Belarusians can be ignorant of the atrocities they committed in Ukraine.

Many sports federations have banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competition at this time, following the previous recommendation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

But last week, the IOC said Russian and Belarusian athletes could compete as neutral athletes, which could pave the way for them to qualify for the Olympics and eventually the 2024 Paris Games.

However, the IOC said in a tweet on Tuesday: Sanctions against the states and governments of Russia and Belarus are non-negotiable. They have been unanimously confirmed at the recent Olympic Summit on December 9, 2022.

These sanctions include not inviting government officials from Russia or Belarus to international sporting events and organizing sporting events in both countries.

The statement did not mention the neutral athletes controversy, and CNN has reached out to the IOC to find out.

Svitolinas’ comments come two days after Wladimir Klitshko, former boxing champion and brother of Kyiv Mayor Vitali, called on IOC President Thomas Bach not to betray the Olympic spirit and become complicit in this disgusting war by allowing Russian athletes to compete.

You propose authorizing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Paris Games. I tell you that the Russians are Olympic champions in crimes against civilians, Klitschko said a video posted on Twitter on Monday.

They have a gold medal for deportation of children and rape of women. You cannot put your Olympic badge on these crimes because you are an accomplice in this disgusting war.

According to Reuters, Paris 2024 organizers insisted on Wednesday they would abide by the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Games after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the governing body to ban them from the sporting event.

CNN has reached out to Paris 2024 organizers for comment.