If we don't go to intl competitions, while Russians are talking about Russian world, it won't benefit us – Sports minister Bidny
Ukraine’s Minister of Youth and Sports Matviy Bidny believes that Ukrainian athletes need to be present at international competitions, even with the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes, in order to be visible and promote their narrative.
"If we do not go to international sports competitions, but sit alone and proudly at home, while Russians under their own flags will talk about the "Russian world" at these international starts, it will not benefit us. Ukraine is a country of great sports traditions, and our athletes are the best ambassadors of Ukraine in the world. Let’s look at the performances of our outstanding athletes, such as Oleksandr Koval, Oleksandr Usyk, Elina Svitolina, Marta Kostyuk, Olya Kharlan, who tell at press conferences what is happening in Ukraine today. Therefore, in order to be noticeable, we need to be present, we need to perform and win," said Bidny in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency, answering the question of whether there are cases today when Ukrainian athletes should refuse to participate in competitions due to the presence of athletes from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus there.
He noted that Ukraine must be careful not to play along with Russian propaganda in this context, and today very thorough work is being done on this.
In particular, the minister recalled that a special working group has been created to consider all the nuances of holding competitions, regulatory norms, so that Ukrainian athletes do not become victims of provocations, and so that the enemy cannot use any shortcomings for its own purposes.
When asked whether there were any cases when the working group recommended not to participate in competitions due to the presence of athletes from aggressor countries, Bidny said that there were several such appeals.
"As far as I know, I am not a participant in it, it was decided that there is no such urgent need to participate in these competitions now. That is, these are not qualifying, not some important competitions, but there are still risks," he added, noting that athletes are normal about such recommendations, since this does not mean that they will not be able to participate in the future.
In addition, when asked why cases are becoming more frequent when Russian and Belarusian athletes in various formats are returned to international competitions, the minister said that he would not say that there is any anomalous activity today, but now there is an understanding that events on the international agenda can be perceived by them as a window of opportunity.
"This is how some international sports federations perceive it, which have long been waiting for the opportunity to ease their sanctions and thus receive certain benefits, sponsorship contracts and membership fees. Therefore, this struggle has lasted all four years, and now it has entered an even more public sphere, especially after the shameful decision of the International Paralympic Committee to restore the rights of the Russian Paralympic Committee; after the decision of the International Judo Federation, whose honorary president Putin was for many years, to return Russians and Belarusians under their own flags," Bidny said.
The Minister emphasized that the Ministry of Sports is promoting this on the international stage, working with international media, showing what is happening in Ukraine, when relatively peaceful cities freeze after Russian energy terrorism.
"We will fight until a just peace comes, and our athletes can train and recover in normal modern conditions," he said.
