Klitschko: “I hope Mr. Bach will continue to exclude Russians and Belarusians”

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Vladimir Klichko called on IOC President Thomas Bach not to allow Russians and Belarusians to attend the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

“Sport is very important. There is now talk about the upcoming Olympic Games. Will Russia and Belarus perform at them or not?

Russians and Belarusians should be banned from participating in the Games due to the actions of their governments, as well as athletes who are military personnel. While I’m talking to you, unfortunately, people are being killed in Ukraine, athletes are being killed. More than 250 athletes were killed in Ukraine.

They may have already competed at the Olympic Games or were planning to go there as athletes. We are talking not only about grown-up guys, but also about little girls who were supposed to once go to the Olympics, but, unfortunately, they were killed.

Who knows how many people will be killed, and therefore, as a consequence, I am absolutely in favor of banning the Russian and Belarusian teams and I hope the IOC President, Mr. Bach, will continue the suspension and will not say that sport has nothing to do with politics or war.

This is directly related to the war, because once again: all these athletes, most of the Russian and Belarusian athletes serve in the army - the Russian and Belarusian military who kill, rape and are part of this war in Ukraine,” the Mirror quotes Klitschko.