High jumper Maria Lasitskene, who won the Olympics in Tokyo last summer, will not have the opportunity to defend her gold from the 2019 World Cup. This is because the International Athletics Federation has chosen to suspend Russian and Belarusian athletes, as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The 29-year-old has now written an open letter to the IOC, the International Olympic Committee, and its chairman Thomas Bach.

Where she means that her passport is used as a trump card.

"Every decision that is made must be about results, but what you have done has not been to stop the war.

Rather the opposite.

It has given life to a new war on sports ", she writes in an open letter.

Thomas Bach has recently spoken, and he believes that the Russian practitioners are exposed to a certain danger.

"Exposed to aggressive acts"

- In some countries, there are such strong feelings involved against the Russian people that their security in an international competition can no longer be guaranteed.

They are very exposed to aggressive actions, says Bach.

Lasitskene believes that other Russian athletes have refuted Bach's arguments.

"Supporters fall in love with athletes because of what they show in competitions, not because of nationality," writes the high jumper.

She is supported by Russian long-distance star Alexander Bolshunov.

- The questions she asks must be asked.

When we are silent, we are kicked even harder.

It seems to me that it is better for everyone to act together, says Bolshunov.

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Simon Pettersson and Daniel Ståhl.

Photo: BILDBYRÅN