IOC President Bach In Ukraine: “We Want To Show Athletes We Stand By Their Side’
Monday, July 4, 2022 at 05:40PM By Barry Janoff
July 4, 2022: Stating that ““We want to show the solidarity of the Olympic Movement with our friends here in the Ukrainian Olympic Community,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach visited Kyiv on July 3 following an invitation by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.
The IOC said Bach held “hour-long talks” with Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the IOC, Bach told the Ukrainian president, “I want to thank you for holding such a meeting addressing sport at such a difficult time for your country.
“This is further confirmation of your commitment to sport and the Olympic values. We want to show solidarity in particular with the Ukrainian Olympic Community, and to demonstrate to the athletes and coaches that they are not alone and that we stand by their side.”
Bach also met with some 100 athletes from the Ukrainian team at the Olympic Training Centre, where he “listened to their first-hand accounts of their experiences of training and competing in extremely difficult conditions.”
“We want to show the solidarity of the Olympic Movement with our friends here in the Ukrainian Olympic Community because we know that you are living very difficult moments,” Bach said according to the IOC.
“And we want not only to tell you, we want to show you, we want to reassure you that you are never alone with the Olympic Community. We are with you with our hearts, with our thoughts every day, and we want to support you to make your Olympic dreams come true.”
Bach committed to “continuing and even strengthening the IOC’s support for Ukrainian athletes, with a special view to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, and their respective qualifying events.”
As a result, the aid fund for athletes is being tripled to $7.5 million.
In February, following Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine, the IOC executive board said it “carefully considered the situation and, with a heavy heart, issued the following resolution:
1. In order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants, the IOC EB recommends that International Sports Federations and sports event organizers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions.
2. Wherever this is not possible on short notice for organizational or legal reasons, the IOC EB strongly urges International Sports Federations and organizers of sports events worldwide to do everything in their power to ensure that no athlete or sports official from Russia or Belarus be allowed to take part under the name of Russia or Belarus."
In some events, such as the 2022 Winter Paralympics and the Wimbledon Grand Slam now in progress in London, athletes from Russia and Belarus have been banned from competing.
In other events, these athletes have been or will be allowed to compete but without any national designations.
Wimbledon Bans Players From Russia, Belarus
Russia, Belarus Athletes Banned From Winter Paralympics
Back to Home Page