Georhiy Zubko, President of the Hockey Federation of Ukraine

 

What will happen if Russian athletes return to the Olympics?

Russian athletes may return to the Olympic Games. At least, that's what officials from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are saying. According to the IOC's conditions, russian athletes allegedly will not be able to compete under their national flag and must not support russia's war against Ukraine. But this is a major trap that the world of sports could fall into for many years, and the negative consequences could spill over into Western society and politics.

When I heard the news that the IOC wants to bring Russian Olympians back to the games, and these discussions are taking place during one of the bloodiest wars in recent years, I couldn't believe it was actually happening. I will try to explain why this is unacceptable based on personal experience.

I have been playing hockey for many years. There were times when we needed more competition to develop within the country. Some youth hockey teams participated in the open championship of Belarus, as it was an opportunity for them to enter a competitive sports environment. I saw how this happened.

That is why I confidently say that russian and Belarusian hockey is part of state policy and, more importantly, state propaganda. Athletes participate in various political projects to support russian president vladimir putin. However, there is an undisputed fact that in a totalitarian state, sports can only be practiced if you actively work for the authorities.

It is worth remembering that in the USSR, many athletes were active military personnel (this is still the case in russia) whose task was to defeat capitalists on a sports field. Sports were part of the communist ideology - supposedly, our athletes were overthrowing the bourgeoisie. Therefore life in the Soviet Union is good. Through athletic achievements, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union rebuilt pride in their country.

The point is that everything has stayed the same in russian sports. Many hockey players in russia and Belarus are military personnel and police officers, and they play for clubs like CSKA, SKA, "Moscow," and "Dynamo Minsk." Their achievements are associated with the achievements of the state and its army. This is a crucial ideological moment.

At the same time, the issue is that russia has always suppressed Ukrainian hockey, not allowing it to develop. There have been cases where Ukrainian athletes were not allowed to join the Ukrainian national team in russian championships. For example, there was an episode where Ukraine was relegated from the top division because russians prohibited Ukrainian athletes from playing for their homeland. Russians forced Ukrainian hockey players to obtain russian citizenship to create a sense of a hockey center in Moscow.

The case of the football club "Minaj" and the Russian club "Shinnik," whose players provoked a fight, is a vivid example of how russians behave disrespectfully towards others. All this discredits sports as a platform for peace, a platform for humanity, and a platform for mutual respect.

Sports, in a russian way, means suppressing neighbors because the imperial essence of russia is present everywhere in society, not just in the broadcasts of Kremlin propagandists. Currently, competitions in boxing, sambo, and the like are held in honor of participants in the war against Ukraine in various russian cities. Who do you think athletes who perform in honor of the "fallen in the SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION” (the euphemism for the war against Ukraine) support?

Thus, I insist again: athletes are part of war propaganda. Sports for putin and the Kremlin are the same weapons.

The return of russia and Belarus to all official sports and hockey competitions is a hazardous step, as it creates the illusion that russians are part of the civilized world. If russian athletes return, there will be a feeling that you can do whatever you want - come and kill an incredible number of people in a neighboring state, and then hang a neutral flag and pretend that nothing happened. What's next? Other countries will also begin to rob and kill their neighbors and then go to the Olympic stadium and smile... Is this what the IOC wants?

Returning to the russians... If they compete in the Olympics again, in russia and around the world, they will definitely know where these athletes are from. If they win, it will again be attributed to the imperial greatness of russia. This is the rehabilitation of the aggressor.

And we perceive this as disrespect for Ukrainian athletes who die on the front lines defending their homeland; for Ukrainian children who are forced to seek other homes because their homes have been destroyed.

Everyone who does not condemn war and supports criminal regimes should be deprived of the right to be part of modern civilization; Russia must be deprived entirely of the right to a future in all areas of life - as a terrorist country that committed genocide against the Ukrainian people until russians repent of putinism.

In February 2022, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) suspended russian hockey players from sports competitions. Accordingly, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an official letter to the head of the IIHF, Luc Tardif, thanking him for supporting Ukrainian sports and requesting that russian and Belarusian athletes be excluded from all official competitions. Of course, the Ukrainian Ice Hockey Federation (FIHU) fully supports this.

Therefore, we show the world that Ukrainian sports have survived under immense pressure from russia. In addition, the FIHU holds and supports many men's and women's sports competitions of different age categories in Canada and the USA and planned events in Europe. The goal is to demonstrate the strength of Ukrainian sports and the resilience of the Ukrainian spirit.

For me, the most important thing is for the whole world to see who is to blame for this tragedy in Ukraine – we talk about it on every platform. Russian society, including the sports community, is responsible for the war. Therefore, suspending Russian athletes from competitions, including the Olympics, is a necessary and fair step.