It is the Ministry of Sports of Ukraine that has decided not to allow the best athletes to face Russian or Belarusian opposition.

There are Ukrainian sports stars who do not welcome the decision.

"If Ukrainian athletes space international venues, we give Russia/Belarus the opportunity to promote their stories and propaganda," Olympic skeleton skier Vladyslav Heraskevych wrote on Twitter.

Several unions have pivoted

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, many international sports federations and competitions have suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes.

The IOC believes that Russians and Belarusians can compete under neutral flags and if they have not supported Russia's invasion or have military links. Several international sports federations – including table tennis, fencing and the taekwondo federation – have pivoted and welcomed Russians and Belarusians back to compete.

Threatened with Olympic boycott

Wimbledon, which unlike other tennis tournaments last year stopped Russians and Belarusians, has also lifted its ban.

The Asian Olympic Council (OCA) has said that Russian and Belarusian athletes are welcome to participate in the Asian Games in China in September-October. There they could qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Meanwhile, several countries, including Ukraine and Poland, have threatened to boycott the Paris Olympics if the warring countries are welcomed back into sport.

Over 200 Ukrainian athletes have been killed in the war against Russia.

CLIP: Otto Drakenberg: "Politicians must get out of the closet" (April 9, 2023)

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Otto Drakenberg: "Politicians must get out of the closet"