Athletes believe that they should please the Ukrainian people with their performance at the Games.
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Star Ukrainian athletes Oleg Vernyaev, Yaroslava Maguchih and Mykhailo Romanchuk believe that the Ukrainian national team should perform at the 2024 Olympics in Paris even if Russians and Belarusians are admitted there.
Olympic medalists stated this in a comment on VDOMA's YouTube channel.
“We need to hold a vote in “Diya” and do as people say. To be honest, many military people ask when the competition will be. So I think they are watching and rooting for us. If the guys are fighting, it doesn't mean we have to sit at home and give all the medals to the Russians.
I think we should also go out, fight on our sports front and win more medals. If we don't go, we'll “give back” and show that they “shoe “we are here,” said the champion and silver medalist of Rio 2016 in gymnastics Oleg Vernyaev.
Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist in high jump Yaroslava Maguchih also believes that athletes should go and raise the flag of Ukraine at the Games:
“I know for sure that a lot of people around the world watch the Olympic Games. And even those who were not very interested in sports turn on the TV once every four years and cheer for athletes from different countries.
Therefore, I think we should go to the Olympics to show results and raise the flag of our country. But we also have to do everything possible so that the International Olympic Committee does not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to the Olympic Games.”
Tokyo 2020 silver and bronze medalist in swimming Mykhailo Romanchuk also expressed a similar opinion:
“As we see in the practice of some federations, money decides a lot. I believe that our athletes should fight. This should be an additional motivation to bite and win. Athletes can leave the country, so we can tell Europe and the world what is happening in Ukraine.
I believe that we should compete and prove on the international stage that we are strong and will fight to the end, despite the conditions of training and life. We are a strong nation”.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) can already make a decision on the return of athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus to world sports on March 28.
Read also: The head of the IOC named his the organization is “politically neutral”
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Previously, Ukraine and four other countries made a joint statement regarding the possible return of Russians and Belarusians to international sports.
