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Apparently all Ukrainian Olympic sports federations are signing a document Thursday, March 9 that will be addressed to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The request is for the IOC to uphold its ban of Russia and Belarus from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The signing will place at the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine in Kyiv.

In February 2022, the IOC urged sporting bodies to cancel or move events that they may have had planned to hold in Russia and to stop using the Russian flag and its national anthem.

As published by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on International Women’s Day, Canadian female athletes publicly demanded that the Canadian Olympic Committee reverse its position and withdraw support of Russian and Belarusian athletes participating at the 2024 Olympic Games. 

In February 2022, European Athletics President, Dobromir Karamarinov, sent a letter of support (see here) to Ukrainian Athletic Federation Acting President, Yevhen Pronin, in support.

Formula One said it would drop its Russian Grand Prix. The event was scheduled to take place in September in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The 2022 event was indeed cancelled in the wake of the Russian invasion. The contract for all future races was terminated.

READ: Sochi was home to perhaps the dirtiest Winter Olympics all time.

Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic refused to play World Cup qualifiers in Russia, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) said national teams competing in UEFA competitions would be played at neutral venues.

President Sebastian Coe and World Athletics released a statement in February 2022 denouncing the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

“World Athletics is appalled by developments in Ukraine and condemns the Russian military invasion,” World Athletics wrote in a statement.

Coe offered World Athletics senior vice-president Sergey Bubka, who is Ukrainian, and the Ukrainian Athletics Federation “whatever practical support we can give.”

The Russian Athletics Federation has been suspended since 2015 for systematic doping, corruption, data manipulation, and various other charges.

According to the publication, Inside the Games, the President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine and Minister of Youth and Sports in Ukraine Vadym Guttsait wrote, “I call on you once again to support Ukraine’s position on the non-participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions, including the Olympic Games Paris 2024, in any status, as soon as this military aggression continues.”

In contrast, Wimbledon cowardly repudiate on their position and are allowing Russian players to compete. The All England Club lifted its ban due to pressure from the tennis tours. However, Russians will be removed if they demonstrate support for the war during the tournament.

Russian athletes competed during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. There was a delegation of nearly 350 who attended the event. However, the Russian flag and national anthem were never seen or heard. Russian athletes won dozens of medals.

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