PRESS RELEASE : President had a phone call with the President of the IOC [December 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 14 December 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone call with President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach.

The Head of State noted the support for the Ukrainian athletes and the Ukrainian Olympic movement, and also called on the IOC to contribute to the restoration of the sports infrastructure in Ukraine destroyed by Russia.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed disappointment with the presence of the president of the Russian Olympic Committee at the IOC summit on November 9 and with the intentions to return Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions under a neutral flag.

“Since February, 184 Ukrainian athletes have died as a result of Russia’s actions. One cannot try to be neutral when the foundations of peaceful life are being destroyed and universal human values are being ignored,” the President of Ukraine said.

According to him, the silence of athletes, coaches and officials condones aggression, and Russia uses sports for propaganda purposes.

The only fair response to such actions is complete isolation of the terrorist state on the international stage. In particular, this applies to international sports events.