Boycotting competitions with Russian athletes to only harm Ukraine – IOC

Moscow:Kiev’s decision to prohibit local athletes from competing in tournaments with Russians will only harm Ukrainian sport, and it contradicts the position of Ukrainian athletes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told Sputnik on Saturday.
On Friday, Minister of the Ukrainian Cabinet Oleh Nemchinov, a member of the executive committee of the National Olympic Committee, announced that the government had decided to ban Ukrainian athletes from participating in qualifying competitions for the 2024 Summer Olympics, in which Russian athletes would take part.
The IOC said that if this decision was implemented, it would only harm the Ukrainian sports community and in no way affect the cessation of hostilities, which the IOC so vehemently condemned. The Committee stressed that it had always argued that governments should not decide which athletes can compete in international events.
The IOC also specified that the position of the Ukrainian government would contradict the opinion of numerous Ukrainian athletes and other members of the Olympic community.