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A decree dated Wednesday says Ukrainian athletes and groups will solely be required to boycott if opponents from Russia or Belarus are competing underneath their nationwide flags or different symbols
Ukraine has signaled it is going to not bar its athletes from competing in opposition to Russians who’re participating in sporting occasions as “neutral athletes,” a major easing of its boycott coverage a 12 months earlier than the Paris Olympics.
A decree dated Wednesday says Ukrainian athletes and groups will solely be required to boycott if opponents from Russia or Belarus are competing underneath their nationwide flags or different symbols, or have signaled allegiance to both of these nations in one other manner.
The change in coverage might clean the way in which for Ukrainians to compete at subsequent 12 months’s Paris Olympics. Ukrainian athletes beforehand boycotted occasions which allowed Russians and Belarusians as “Individual Neutral Athletes,” the popular time period of the International Olympic Committee.
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It wasn’t instantly clear how the decree can be carried out in apply, however a minimum of one main Ukrainian athlete competed in opposition to a “neutral” Russian competitor on Thursday.
Olympic champion Olga Kharlan competed in opposition to officially-neutral Russian opponent Anna Smirnova on the world fencing championships — an Olympic qualifier — on Thursday in Milan, Italy, successful their bout 15-7. However, Smirnova refused to depart after the bout in an obvious protest as a result of Kharlan refused to shake fingers on the finish.
The IOC favors permitting Russians and Belarusians to compete as “neutral athletes” with out nationwide symbols in Olympic qualifying occasions. The governing our bodies of most Olympic sports activities have both adopted the IOC coverage already or are engaged on plans to take action.
The IOC nonetheless recommends barring Russia and Belarus from crew sports activities and excluding athletes who’re contracted to the navy or safety forces.
The IOC says it has not taken a last determination on permitting “neutral” Russian and Belarusian athletes at subsequent 12 months’s Paris Olympics.
Ukraine had beforehand objected strongly to the coverage, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying in January that “any neutral flag of Russian athletes is stained with blood.”
First revealed on: 27-07-2023 at 17:21 IST
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