Ukraine Has 'No Possibility' of Retreat in 'Sealed Off' Bakhmut—Reports
NewsweekNov 27, 2022
Ukraine Bans Athletes from Competing Against Russia and Belarus
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Image copyright: [via the Kharkiv Times]
The Facts
Ukraine’s Ministry of Youth and Sports on Friday banned its country's athletes and national teams from competing in any tournament where Russian and Belarusian athletes are also taking part. The ban applies to Olympic and non-Olympic sports, as well as competitions for sporting events for disabled people.
It comes as Thomas Bach, Pres. of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), last month defended his decision to recommend allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to individual sports after they were banned from most international competitions last year. However, a decision has yet to be made about participation in the Olympics ahead of the 2024 Paris games.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
While the International Olympic Committee cloaks itself in self-serving rhetoric about independence and fair play, allowing Russia to compete in the Olympics after it launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is simply the wrong decision. The body must hold Russia, and its accomplice Belarus, accountable for the war crimes they've committed on the global stage.
Establishment-critical narrative
Countries who call for Russia's exclusion from sports make no mention of the scores of other countries currently involved in 70 wars across the world. This is a double standard and precisely why governments shouldn't have a say in who competes at international events — doing so would be the end of world sports.
