Matvii Bidnyi, Minister of Youth and Sports, said that Ukrainian athletes should participate in international competitions even in the presence of athletes from Russia and Belarus in order to demonstrate Ukraine’s position to the whole world. He stressed that such presence is extremely important for promoting Ukrainian narratives and fighting on the information front, Sport Bet reports.
Bidny noted that sporting events in which Russians participate cannot be ignored, as this would allow them to freely promote the ‘Russian world.’ The minister stressed that Ukraine has a great sporting tradition and that Ukrainian athletes are the best representatives of the country in the world. Bidny mentioned such outstanding athletes of our country as Oleksandr Usyk, Oleksandr Koval, Elina Svitolina and others. According to the minister, these athletes openly talk about what is happening in Ukraine at press conferences, so in order for Ukraine to be heard, it is necessary to participate in all competitions and win.
Matviy Bidny also stressed that Ukraine should act cautiously so as not to play into the hands of enemy propaganda. This requires careful work.
Bidny recalled that a special working group had been set up to study all the nuances of holding competitions. This will allow Ukrainian athletes to avoid provocations.
In addition, the minister noted that the current activity regarding the return of representatives of the Russian Federation and Belarus to world sport is not abnormal, but the aggressor countries are trying to use any changes in the international agenda as a ‘window of opportunity.’ According to Matviy Bidny, this situation was expected, so Ukraine must respond to such challenges systematically.
Bidny noted that some international federations also view the situation with the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the same way. Unfortunately, there are many organisations that dream of weakening sanctions in order to gain certain advantages, membership fees and sponsorship contracts. According to the minister, this situation did not arise yesterday, but recently a lot of information has begun to enter the public domain. Particularly shameful were the decisions of the International Paralympic Committee to reinstate the rights of the Russian Paralympic Committee and the decision of the International Judo Federation to allow Belarusians and Russians to return under their national flags.
Earlier, the International Volleyball Federation reinstated the youth teams of the Russian Federation and Belarus.
