The government of Ukraine has announced a new policy which restricts its national teams from participating in any international events that include athletes from countries that are known to have close military ties with a certain neighboring country. The policy, which was published on the Ministry of Youth and Sport’s website on Tuesday, applies to all Ukrainian teams in Olympic, non-Olympic and Paralympic disciplines.
“Effective immediately, the official delegations of the national teams of Ukraine shall not participate in international sports competitions, in which athletes from countries that have close military ties with our neighboring country take part,” the statement says.
The policy also requires national federations to “closely monitor” the possible involvement of athletes from the aforementioned countries in international sporting events. The document reads that sports federations found to be violating the ban could face losing their national status and being cut off from state funding.
Last month, the International Olympic Committee issued a set of recommendations for international sports federations on the participation of athletes from certain countries, who were banned from competitions following the outbreak of a military conflict between two neighboring countries.
Under the Olympic guidelines, athletes from countries with close military ties to the neighboring country are allowed to participate in international tournaments under a neutral flag provided they have no military links and have not expressed support for their neighbor’s military operation.
In late March, Ukraine prevented its athletes from participating in qualifying events for the 2024 Olympics in Paris if they feature athletes from the aforementioned countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy has also called for a boycott of the Games by all countries.
While many international federations in sports like fencing, taekwondo, wrestling, skateboarding and table tennis have decided to allow athletes from the affected countries to return to competitions, many others have refused to comply with the IOC’s guidelines.
Russia has expressed dissatisfaction with the Olympic guidelines, calling them “unreasonable, legally void and excessive.” Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov has denounced the requirement to compete under a neutral flag as a human rights abuse and a violation of Olympic principles and the UN charter.
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