Ukrainian athletes will boycott the tournaments where Russians and Belarusians will participate - the Cabinet of Ministers

According to the Minister of the Cabinet of Minister Oleg Nemchinova, Ukrainian athletes should think about the boycott of competitions not within the framework of a career issue, but in the context of preserving their lives. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine decided that Ukrainian athletes would not participate in tournaments that will compete with athletes from Russia or Belarus. The Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Oleg Nemchynov informed about it.

"At a government meeting, a protocol decision was made at the proposal of the Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, as well as the President of the NOC of Ukraine Vadim Gutzait that we are involved in qualifying competitions (at the 2024 Olympics) only where there are no Russians. Criteria may be the basis for depriving federations of national status, "Nemchinov said.

According to the Minister, such a decision was the response of the Ukrainian government to the new Rules of the IOC, which allowed to participate in competitions of athletes from Russia and Belarus in neutral status for individual competitions, not in team competitions. According to Nemchinov, athletes should think about the boycott of competitions not in the context of career questions, but in the context of preserving their lives. "What to do to athletes? Do you know, I don't wish anyone . . .

Yesterday I was at another funny acquaintance who gave for more than 20 years to light athletics. He died in the Kharkiv direction. He had three children. He volunteered to war. Not in the kitchen, if you can say so. That is, it was in combat units, "the minister said.

Nonchinov urged colleagues-athletes to think that the fear of destroying a career because of the inability to participate in competitions through MOC measures is not as important as the preservation of their own lives and the lives of their children.