Print Magazine
Brussels Morning Newspaper
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Russian participation in the Olympic Games means legitimizing war crimes

Tomáš Zdechovský MEP by Tomáš Zdechovský MEP
14 February 2023
in Opinion
Russian participation in the Olympic Games means legitimizing war crimes
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) One of the inseparable features of modern war conflicts is that they affect the entire society, and the civilian victims often significantly outweigh the military ones. Such conflicts affect virtually all areas of human life. This is also the case with the ongoing war in Ukraine. Many aspects of this war are therefore forgotten. Unfortunately, little is said, for example, about how the conflict affects Ukrainian sports. Among the war, victims are many Ukrainian athletes.

Russian athletes do not deserve sympathy

I want to mention the case of the young promising Ukrainian decathlete Volodymyr Androshchuk. He was killed while defending his country last January. Another athlete with the same destiny was a promising figure skater Dmitry Sharpar. Before the war, he participated in the Youth Olympic Games and longed to be at a real Olympics. His dream will not come true because he was killed near Bachmut on January 23rd.

Of course, these were by no means the first cases of Ukrainian sportsmen slaughtered while defending their country. Young Ukrainians from the sports world have been dying since the outbreak of the war. One of the first victims was 19-year-old biathlete Yevhen Malysev, a junior national team member. He could fight for medals at the junior championship in Soldier Hollow in the USA. He instead fought in another discipline- warcraft. He decided to strengthen the army and protect his homeland. A few days after the start of the war, he fell in battle. Another victim of the war was Dmytro Pidruchny, the 2019 world champion in the pursuit race, who died while defending Kyiv.

Among the Ukrainian athletes who gave their lives for their country was the young footballer Vitaliy Sapylo. He was on his way to becoming a professional player. This incredibly talented member of the Karpaty Lviv academy team will no longer have the opportunity to develop his talent further. At the tender age of 21, he was conscripted into the army and ultimately died at the beginning of the war while defending the Ukrainian metropolis.

Throughout the war in Ukraine, Russia is responsible for killing at least 300 athletes. They perished either in defense of their country or were killed or injured in attacks on innocent civilians. 25-year-old footballer Dmytro Martynenko is among those killed in attacks on civilians. He played as a midfielder for the FC Hostomel team and died when he hid with his mother in a house that became the target of a Russian bombing.

 I don’t think I need to explain further why I don’t regret Russian athletes not being able to compete in international competitions. Simply because it seems like everyone forgot about Ukrainian ones. They had to learn to fight instead of training, and now they are defending their country with weapons in their hand, while many of them are no longer alive today. 

As a result of Russian aggression, Ukraine has lost many of its promising athletes. Several hundred dead is certainly not a negligible number. So how fair is it for athletes from the aggressor country to happily compete while Ukrainian athletes are dying? Russian behavior should not go without consequences, even in sports. I see no reason why Russian or Belarusian athletes should participate in sporting events or the Olympics.

The shameful stance of the MOV

Nothing should change. It was the correct reaction to Russian aggression to prevent Russian athletes from participating in several major international sporting events. Until the Russian aggression ends, the International Olympic Committee must not consider any Russian athletes’ participation in the Olympics. The current stance of MOV is a massive disappointment. MOV would still like to see representatives of Russia and Belarus in the Olympics, even if only as neutral athletes. The representatives of these two countries could participate in competitions organized by the Asian Olympic Committee. These include races counted towards Olympic qualification and the Olympics themselves.

Russia (or the Soviet Union) has always used its own sporting successes for propaganda and tried to prove its greatness through sports. Therefore, the entire discussion about involving politics in sports at the Olympics in France in 2024 seems extremely foolish and shallow. Russia is killing thousands of Ukrainians daily while we argue whether Russia can have its representatives at the Olympics. Of course, not! The Olympics should unite nations and show how we can compete honorably. However, Russia has never taken fair competition too seriously, as evidenced by countless doping scandals. And it finally trampled the essence of the Olympic idea when attacking Ukraine, so there is nothing to think about.

Suppose the worst came true and Russian athletes were to participate in the Olympics. In that case, we should follow the example of Latvia and Poland, which have already indicated that they will boycott the Olympics under these circumstances. Why? Because any participation of Russians in the Olympic Games means legitimizing their war crimes.

Tags: Brussels DirectBrussels LatestMain-SliderMEPOpinion section
Follow Brussels Morning
Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

More Info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookie Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Categories

  • Belgium News
  • Brussels
  • Culture and Society
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Parliament
  • Europe
  • Features
  • Health & Fitness
  • In Depth
  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Member States
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Uncategorised
  • World
  • Diplomacy
  • Middle East Eye
  • US Elections
  • Join Our Newsletter

    Brussels Morning Newspaper – All Rights Reserved © 2020

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Brussels Bubble
      • Parliament
      • Commission
      • Council
    • Wider Europe
      • Member States
    • World
    • Business & Society
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Culture & Society
    • Policy Talks
      • Place de la Bourse
      • The Macro-Economist
      • Sustainable Perspective
      • Ambassador’s Corner
      • The American Angle
      • Southeast Europe
    • Print Magazine

    Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT