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Ukraine's sports minister said on Tuesday that
his country was seeking to secure widespread international
support for banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from 2024
Olympics because of the war.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has opened the door
for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals in
Paris.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus, which aided President Vladimir
Putin's invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago, have been largely
banned from international competitions since.
Moscow says it is defending its own security and denies
accusations of widespread atrocities in Ukraine.
Latvia's National Olympic Committee (NOC) said in a statement on
Wednesday that participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes
in the Olympic Games under any flag was unacceptable as long as
the war was ongoing.
"The Olympics are the biggest dream and ultimate privilege for
athletes. They are the largest platform for inclusion and
diversity in sports, capturing the attention of the world,"
Svitolina said in a statement on Twitter.
"With this in mind we must stick to banning Russian and
Belarusian athletes... that we are united in the sanctions
imposed against Russia and Belarus and that there are
consequences for the heinous acts of their governments.
"Their lives cannot continue as normal and the world, nor the
Russian and Belarusian people, can be ignorant of the atrocities
they are committing in Ukraine."
Svitolina, married to fellow tennis player Gael Monfils, reached
her career-high ranking of world number three in 2017 and has
not played since giving birth to her first child last year.
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian
Radnedge)
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