The decision to allow russians and belarusians to participate in the 2024 Olympics is deeply wrong and even criminal. If the progressive community cannot convince the International Olympic Committee,  then sanctions will soon be lifted from russians and their aggression against Ukraine will be justified.

So, the IOC made a controversial proposal: to allow athletes from russia, which is an aggressor and a terrorist state, as well as belarus, which is a facilitator of terrorism, to participate in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. For this, the participants from the two countries were given conditions: not to speak in support of the war against Ukraine and not to use doping. The second condition may not be discussed at all – because it is a mandatory requirement for all participants. Unless they decided to troll the russians because it was athletes under the ‘tricolour’ who were most often caught using the prohibited substances.

But it’s the attitude to the war that I would like to discuss. There is a false theory that ‘Sport is outside of politics’, although, throughout the 20th century, this postulate was repeatedly denied. I have already written about how countries that committed or supported aggression against other states were banned from participating in prestigious international competitions. Politics and sports are inextricably linked, and the higher the level of competition, the higher the stakes. And the ban on participation in the Olympic Games is an effective and annoying mechanism for the state to express condemnation for violations of international standards.

The IOC makes a hypocritical bow: they say, russians and belarusians will be allowed to compete, but without the traditional paraphernalia for such competitions – flags, anthem and other symbols that indicate belonging to russia and belarus. And perform under neutral flags. Even more will come from this falsehood. Because what kind of “neutrality” can we talk about if the russians, with the help of the belarusians, have been bombing Ukrainian cities and killing Ukrainians, including children, for a year? And even if the International Olympic Committee offers russian and belarusian athletes to burn their passports, it will not change anything – they will still represent the countries that are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians.

It is clear why the russians and belarusians, who are putting pressure on the IOC to push through this decision, need it. Admission to the Olympics is their legalisation, ‘forgiveness of sins’, ending the complete isolation that russia has fallen into due to its bloody aggressive policy. If the number with sports passes, then they will seek the lifting of economic sanctions, and lobby for other necessary solutions for them at various international venues. And they will appeal to just this case – well, look, we have already been partially forgiven, we participated in the Olympics!

It is interesting that russia itself was also not very happy with the decision of the IOC. That is, they will continue to put pressure on international sports officials to not only allow them to perform at the Olympics but also under their own flags! And if the entire civilised world does not prevent their participation even under neutral flags, then it will be so.

I would like to invite the leadership of the International Olympic Committee, in particular, Mr. Thomas Bach himself, to Ukrainian cities crippled by the war. To Mariupol, which was razed to the ground. To Donetsk, where they destroyed one of the best stadiums in Ukraine, and maybe in Europe – Donbas Arena. To Bakhmut, where our boys have been defending their land from human-like occupiers for months in a row. And tell about all the crimes they committed – murder, rape, torture, robbery and looting. Are these non-humans you want to allow to participate in the Olympics? Do you want to return them to the civilised world, in which they do not belong? It will be a slap in the face for everyone who loves and respects sports because such permission is a denial of the very essence of the Olympics, a betrayal of the Olympic spirit.

Perhaps the leadership of the International Olympic Committee will be impressed by the scary numbers. The russian occupiers destroyed more than 320 sports facilities throughout Ukraine with their rockets. More than 220 athletes died. They were killed by the russians – the same ones you so magnanimously invite back to the Olympics.

When I hear russian coaches moan that ‘how can our children be banned from taking part in prestigious competitions, they trained so much for this,’ I want to ask a few questions in response. And what about our children – those who were robbed of at least a year of happy childhood? Who were forced to leave for other countries or stay and hide in underground storages, studying in unsuitable conditions? What about the boy who carries candies to the grave of his mother, whose heart could not withstand the war? And what about those Ukrainian angels who will never see sunlight again? Including our glorious 11-year-old gymnast Katya Dyachenko, who had a chance to become the most outstanding athlete in the world, but her young life was cut short due to the enemy shelling.

No one should believe in these “crocodile tears”. What is happening to the russians, including their athletes, they have deserved. It was with their tacit consent and support that Putin unleashed this war. And they bear the same responsibility for these atrocities as the Kremlin dictator. So what does the IOC propose to exhibit at the Paris Olympics? Propaganda of violence, death and destruction? We must not allow this. If the International Olympic Committee still commits this – without exaggeration, a crime that contradicts the very concept of fair sport – then Ukraine will boycott the Paris Olympics. I hope that athletes from other countries will support us in this. Let russians and belarusians compete with themselves and cling to each other’s medals.

Apparently, the IOC threw a ‘touchstone’ to test the world’s reaction. Therefore, the task of the world sports community is to unite and make maximum efforts so that russia and belarus remain in sports isolation and are not admitted to the Paris Olympics. I am sure that Ukraine’s voice of protest will not be alone.