In Ukraine, the Ministry of Sport has banned official delegations from participating in international competitions involving Russians and Belarusians. The ministry regulation was published on Friday night.
In the event of violations, the national sports federations are threatened with the withdrawal of their official status. The participation of Russians and Belarusians in international competitions should be monitored by the associations themselves.
The ordinance was preceded by a cabinet decision at the end of March. Kiev had previously discussed a boycott of next year’s Summer Olympics in Paris if Russian or Belarusian athletes were allowed to attend. A few weeks ago, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that athletes from Russia and Belarus should be allowed back into international competitions as neutral athletes under certain conditions. There was much criticism of the decision.
Russia invaded Ukraine almost 14 months ago. Moscow-ally Belarus allows Russian attacks from its territory.