Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Vadim Gutzeit announced that local athletes would boycott tournaments with the participation of Russians and Belarusians. His words are quoted by Sportbest.

The decision was announced at a meeting with all-Ukrainian federations of Olympic and non-Olympic sports. “Athletes from these countries cannot participate in international competitions either under their own or under neutral flags,” Gutzeit said.

Earlier, on June 14, the bronze medalist of the 2022 Olympics, biathlete Maxim Tsvetkov, told how he was affected by the removal of Russian athletes from international competitions. According to Tsvetkov, he had problems with motivation.

International sports organizations have imposed sanctions on Russian athletes and federations, following the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee. In most cases, this led to the complete suspension of Russian athletes, some organizations allowed the Russians to compete in a neutral status.