The Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova launched an appeal regarding the holding of the European Weightlifting Championships in Chisinau, in which athletes from Russia and Belarus participate. In the context of this event, the embassy reminded of the devastating impact of the Russian invasion on sports, stressing the huge human and material losses, IPN reports.
According to data published by the embassy, as of March this year, 591 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed in the war. Also, 22 are in captivity, while 11 are missing. In addition, 725 sports facilities were destroyed or damaged, including Olympic, Paralympic and Deaflympic training bases.
The embassy also emphasizes that Russian sport is closely linked to the policy pursued by the Russian Federation: "Russian sport is not separate from the state. It is one of the instruments of justification and incitement to aggression. Those who say that sport should be in the political business must also recognize that Russia uses sport as a political weapon."
The Ukrainian officials’ reaction comes after a recent incident when 13-year-old Ukrainian athlete Yevhenii Melnyk refused to stand on the podium with a Russian athlete in protest at the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This gesture was captured in a video, which went viral on social media under the title "No photos with terrorists!".
Earlier, Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with Russia’s Anna Blinkov at the end of a match of the tennis tournament held in Miami.
The Embassy of Ukraine reiterated that Russia should have no place in international sport until it ends its atrocities against Ukraine, stressing that sport should remain separate from political conflicts, but it cannot be ignored when it is used as a tool of propaganda and aggression.
