UWC: Olympic Games are no place to whitewash Russia’s genocidal war

On the eve of the anticipated vote on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on 28 March 2023, the Ukrainian World Congress issued a letter to the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach.  

The letter, signed by UWC First Vice President Stefan Romaniw and UWC World Sport Committee Chair Renata Roman, states that the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris – even under a neutral flag – will allow them to promote Russian prestige and achievements, and spread Russian disinformation and propaganda. 

“It would also definitely lead to conflicts between these athletes and athletes from Ukraine and many other countries, which have suffered, or are currently suffering from various forms of Russian aggression, such as Georgia, Moldova, Poland, or the Baltic states. All these consequences will significantly damage the general image of the Olympic Movement and will have a negative impact on its sponsors and donors,” the statement reads. – “We are confident that the Olympic Games should not be used for whitewashing Russia’s genocidal war in Ukraine, for concealing its crimes against humanity, or for promoting the tolerance of war and destruction.” 

For over a month now, the Ukrainian World Congress has been conducting an international advocacy campaign to challenge the statements and intentions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board regarding its readiness to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Proposed advocacy activities include:

• Letters to National Olympic Committees and Federations of individual sports;
• Letters to the Ministries of Sports
• A letter to the International Olympic Committee;
• Expressing a position in meetings with politicians and mass media

We provide materials to promote your advocacy activities: https://cutt.ly/f3lhAiH