While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has so far allowed Russian athletes to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics under a “neutral banner,” despite Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine, Ukrainian athletes face the challenge of training under unbearable conditions.
Over 500: that’s the number of sports facilities in Ukraine deliberately targeted and destroyed during Russian bombings. Examples include the sports complex in Dnipro, the Odessa sailing school, the Torpedo stadium in Zaporizhzhia, the “Altair” ice rink in Druzhkivka, and the Lokomotiv Kyiv stadium.
These attacks have not only caused significant material damage but have also endangered civilian lives, including children.
Ukrainians live in constant fear of Russian bombings and cannot train peacefully for the Olympics. Allowing Russian athletes to compete in favorable conditions while their country commits atrocities against Ukraine is profoundly unjust.
We call for the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Paris 2024 Olympics to prevent the Games from becoming a celebration of the violence perpetrated by Russia. #BloodGames2024
