Ukraine’s acting sports minister Matvey Bidny has told Ukrainian athletes to remain “calm” and ignore any provocative behavior by Russian athletes at this summer’s Olympics.
Speaking to the Guardian at the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Kiev, Bidny predicted that Russia would use its representative in Paris as part of its propaganda campaign, explaining that recommendations had been put in place to help the Ukrainian team avoid becoming embroiled in the controversy.
Last July, Ukrainian fencer Olha Kharlan was expelled from the world championships for refusing to shake hands with his Russian opponent, raising concerns that if he repeated the mistake, he would be viewed by the same country that launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. victory.
Asked what he would tell the Ukrainian Olympic team if a Russian athlete, who will compete in an individual competition as a neutral, tried to incite a reaction on the world stage, Bidny called for calm. “I would tell them to respond appropriately and with dignity,” he said. “Understand and realize that the provocation is intentional. Callously ignore the provocation.
Ukraine is prepared for such a scenario to occur, but Bidny would not reveal any possible worsening of the situation. “We’ll see what they do,” he said. “Our athletes are ready.”
Under previous Covid-19 protocols, Callan would not have been punished for simply tipping a blade with Anna Smirnova, who looked certain to miss Paris 2024 after being disqualified, but IOC President Thomas Bach gave the suspension a reprieve and will compete in August.
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“I think it’s not just that she learned a lesson from this incident,” Bidney said. “This was the first provocation from which we drew conclusions. We began an intensive effort to change the regulations, and many similar cases allowed us to elaborate and present our recommendations.
The guidelines will emphasize that Ukrainian athletes should have as little interaction as possible with Russian athletes, about 40 of whom can compete in Paris. Ukraine’s top priority is the safety of participants and does not want to draw attention to itself in a negative way.
“We believe that Russian athletes are agents of mixed influence,” Bidney explained. “We know this is how Russia wages war and conducts war: how it influences and manipulates minds. Sports is a very important part of their propaganda and I think we’ve done a lot for the world to turn them away from international sports. Even journalists cannot appear at the Olympics under their flag, which proves that the Russian flag is condemned and cannot be accepted at international events, which is very symbolic.
Many have called on the International Olympic Committee to abolish neutrality altogether and ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing. “The IOC is a very conservative organization,” Bidney said. “It has existed for more than 100 years and they have constantly emphasized their autonomy. We know that they are located in the middle of society and that international pressure generated by a media focused on decision-making plays a powerful role. Now we observe that this iceberg has started very slowly move.
“Russia’s influence in the international sports world is very strong. They use all possible resources to influence decision-making at all levels. But our situation has raised concerns and good governance of single sports federations is a very hot topic at the moment. Now all over the world The world is watching what decisions are made and what guides them and that’s a very positive thing.
On Monday, Bidny and his predecessor and current president of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee Vadim Hutset officially announced that Ukraine would participate in the Olympics under the slogan “Victory”.
