On Friday, the Ministry of Sports of Ukraine issued an order banning national teams from participating in the Olympic, Neo-Olympic and Paralympic competitions against Russian and Belarusian athletes.

The national team of Ukraine will not play against Russia and Belarus

The decision, criticized by some Ukrainian athletes, came after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) angered Kyiv by opening the way for athletes from Russia and Ukraine to return to the competition as neutrals, despite the war in Ukraine.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, an offensive supported by Belarus. Tens of thousands of people died during the 14 months of the war. Cities were completely destroyed, and millions of people had to leave the places where they lived.

Ukraine recently warned its sports federations that they would lose their status if their athletes competed internationally against Russians and Belarusians.

The decree, published yesterday evening on the website of the Ministry of Sports, was signed by Deputy Minister of Sports Matviy Bidny, News.ro reports.

Some Ukrainian athletes, including Vladyslav Geraskevych, who represented Ukraine in skeleton at the Olympics, criticized the ban, saying it would destroy Ukrainian sports.

“If there are no representatives of Ukraine at the competition, then we will completely vacate the international sports grounds and give the Russian-Belarusian representatives the opportunity to promote their version and propaganda,” Geraskevych wrote on Twitter. The IOC imposed sanctions on Russia and Belarus after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, but in March 2023 recommended that athletes from the two countries be allowed to participate in international competitions as neutrals.