🚨 OUTRAGEOUS
Elena Vesnina, a member of the Russian army and a fervent supporter of Putin and his war of aggression in Ukraine, has been invited to the OLYMPIC GAMES 🤬
Elena Vesnina, an athlete known for her outspoken support of Vladimir Putin and his warmongering policies, has been invited to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
A member of the Russian army and the CSKA (ЦСКА) sports club, Vesnina has received multiple awards from the Russian Ministry of Defense, including recognition for “strengthening international military cooperation.”
Vesnina openly admires Vladimir Putin and supported the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 by retweeting posts celebrating the event.
On social media, she regularly expresses her support for Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Notably, she liked a post defending Ivan Kulyak, an athlete suspended for displaying the “Z” symbol—associated with Russia’s war—on his uniform.
Vesnina was awarded Russia’s Order of Merit for the Fatherland medal following her performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021), despite competing under a “neutral” banner.
This so-called neutrality, however, has not prevented Russian propaganda from exploiting her successes.
The presence of Vesnina at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is unacceptable given her overt support for Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.
After the horrific events of Monday, July 8, 2024, in which the Russian military deliberately bombed a pediatric hospital twice and a maternity ward in Kyiv, killing 36 people and injuring over 140 civilians in Dnipro, Kryvy Rih, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk, it is inconceivable for the Paris Olympics to be used as a platform by the criminal regimes of Russia and Belarus.
These are the conditions under which Ukrainian athletes train: under the constant threat of missiles, bombs, and shells that Russia rains down daily on civilian targets and infrastructure.
As long as Russia continues its bombardments of Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes have no place at the Paris Olympics.
Wrestlers have already been banned from the Olympic Games, but we call on the IOC and the organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to take stronger, concrete measures and prohibit the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes.
#BloodGames2024
