Olympics: Ukraine asks its athletes to avoid any contact with Russian athletes

The Ukrainian Olympic Committee (COU) and the Ministry of Sports of Ukraine issued this Thursday a list of recommendations to their Olympic athletes on how to behave in the presence of athletes from Russia and Belarus at the Olympic Games to be held this summer in Paris.

The COU and the Ministry ask their representatives at the Games and the rest of the members of the Ukrainian delegation to avoid, as far as possible, any direct contact with athletes from Russia and Belaruswhich supported Russian forces in the invasion of Ukraine and allowed them to use its territory to attack Ukrainian territory.

The recommendations also include not participate in press conferences or interviews together with athletes from both enemy countries and avoidwhen the development of the competition itself does not make it necessary, being photographed with Russian and Belarusian athletes.

Ukrainian sports authorities also ask their Olympic athletes to Do not come into contact with the athletes of those two countries on social networks.

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided last December to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus qualified for the Games to participate as neutral athletes in the Paris event.

Ukraine accuses Russia and Belarus of having broken the Olympic truce at the start of this war and had demanded the total exclusion of both countries from the Games.

Since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Ukrainian athletes have repeatedly faced off against Russian and Belarusian rivals in sports competitions such as tennis. In most cases, theUkrainian athletes have refused to greet their rivals at the end of the match.

C.T.