Bubka urges compliance with IOC recommendations on Russian and Belarusian athletes and Moscow protests

Sergey Bubka’s recent exhortations not to violate the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after the Russian invasion of Ukraine annoyed the Moscow authorities.

Last week Bubka, president of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee and appointed by the IOC as coordinator of humanitarian aid to the sports community in his country, spoke at the General Assemblies of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the Olympic Committees European Nationals.

A note on the site of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee warns that “some international federations are trying to lift sanctions on athletes from aggressor countries.”

“In particular - adds the statement - after the International Judo Federation admitted Russian and Belarusian teams could compete in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, albeit under a neutral flag, NOC President Sergey Bubka said that the previously adopted course to exclude Russians and Belarusians from international competitions remained unchanged:

“The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine fully supports the position of the International Olympic Committee, which was announced in February, and nothing has changed since then.

“To protect the unity of international sports competitions, the IOC Executive Board has recommended that its organizers and international sports federations not invite athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus to participate.

“This position was fully supported by the ASOIF earlier this week.

“The NOC of Ukraine requires that all international federations adhere to the above recommendations.”

Another note on the Ukrainian Olympic Committee site refers to moments of Bubka’s speech, also a member of the IOC, at the opening of the meeting of the European Olympic Committees in Skopje, North Macedonia, in which he also reported on the projects to support to Ukrainian athletes

“We want Ukrainian athletes to continue to participate in international competitions and continue to represent Ukraine”

“Because of the war, people in Ukraine are dying every day, and among the dead are a large number of athletes.”

-”The Solidarity Fund has been established to support the Olympic community and the Ukrainian sports movement, whose work I coordinate. Thanks to the Foundation, we have implemented more than 70 individual support projects and donated around $1.3 million;

-”Currently, about 3,000 Ukrainian athletes and coaches are abroad;

“As a result of hostilities and enemy shelling in Ukraine, many sports facilities were destroyed or damaged.”

The IOC has supported the proposal to involve members of the world Olympic family as sponsors of the rebuilding of sports infrastructure in Ukraine.

In his speech in Skopje, IOC President Thomas Bach underlined the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the world of sport and the Ukrainian Olympic community.

According to the IOC website, Bach explained the IOC’s actions since the outbreak of the war, which have included both protection measures for the integrity of the competitions and sanctions against those responsible for the war.

“We had to take protective measures regarding Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials participating in international competitions by recommending their non-participation. The time has not come to lift these measures,” Bach said.

“Our mission is a humanitarian mission, and we can only fulfill this humanitarian mission if we are above and beyond political differences and all differences, whether political, cultural or sports,” he reiterated.

Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee for Physical Culture and Sports Dmitry Svishchev, criticized Bubka for his call on international federations to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions. The State Duma is the lower house of the Russian Federal Assembly.

The 1988 Olympic pole vault champion and former world record holder made the statement after the International Judo Federation allowed athletes from both countries to compete in Ulaanbaatar under a neutral flag, according to Match TV.

“Bubka uses familiar rhetoric. There is nothing new for us in this,” Svishchev said according to a statement from his press service. “We advise you to take on the sports component, and not the political statements. We remember you as a high-level athlete. The federations must make independent decisions, as the International Tennis Federation and the International Judo Federation (IJF) did.

In the opinion of the Russian politician, without the presence of athletes from his country “world sport suffers losses.” Svishchev is on the list of Russians sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that Moscow calls a “special military operation.” The war has already exceeded 100 days with thousands of deaths, and harmful effects on world peace and economy.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian judoka Georgy Zantaraya criticized the participation of Russians in competitions under the auspices of the IJF.

On Saturday it became known that Russian judokas will perform at the Grand Slam tournament, which will be held in Mongolia, as neutral athletes.

“Let me remind that sport cannot stay away from political problems, especially when it comes to war. Therefore, I want to make an important statement for myself. If Russian athletes can participate in the tournament, then I will officially resign all my titles, including the world champion title,” Zantaraya wrote on social media.

Zantaraya is a world champion and twice European champion.

Kirill Denisov, sports director of the Russian Judo Federation, told RIA Novosti that this tournament in Ulaanbaatar is very important for its athletes in terms of earning qualifying points for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

In a statement, the IJF announced that athletes from the Russian Federation have registered to compete as neutral athletes at the 2022 Ulanbataar Grand Slam.

The IJF said it stands by its decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in its competitions only under the flag, anthem and colors of that international federation.

“Athletes should not be punished for issues that are beyond their control,” they said.

The statement quoted Bach: “All those who support the war can and should be punished, but all those who do not support the war, their rights must be respected, under our own rules and the rules of international law, there is no sanction and there should be no sanction for having a passport.”