Russian athletes' neutral flag is stained with blood: Zelenskyy invites IOC President to Bakhmut

In his evening video address, the President of Ukraine reacted to the position of IOC President Thomas Bach, who announced his intention to consider the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in international competitions if they do not support the war in Ukraine.

“Any neutral flag of Russian athletes is tainted with blood. One cannot help but be disappointed by the statements of the current head of the IOC. I have spoken to him on several occasions and have not heard how he intends to protect sports from war propaganda if he returns Russian athletes to international competitions. We will do everything to protect the world from the political and any other influence of the terrorist state, which is simply inevitable if Russian athletes participate in competitions. And even more so - in the Paris Olympics,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President also invited Bach to Bakhmut.

“Ukrainian athletes are forced to defend the lives of their loved ones and the freedom of our people from Russian aggression. Russian strikes have claimed the lives of hundreds and hundreds of Ukrainians who could have enriched world sports with their talent. I invite Mr. Bach to Bakhmut to see with his own eyes that neutrality does not exist,” he said.