Ukrainian figure skating federations and athletes have asked the International Skating Union (ISU) to ban Russian athletes from participating in international competitions until the end of the war.

Reuters reported on the 17th (Korean time) that the Athletes’ Commission of the Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation requested a “complete ban on Russian figure skaters and officials from participating in international competitions until the end of the war.”

Ukrainian Figure Skating Commissioner Anna Knichenkova, 28, wrote in a letter to the ISU that “it is unacceptable for Russian athletes to participate in the event in any position or form.”

Knichenkova asserted, “We hope for a complete ban of Russian athletes and officials from all ISU internationally recognized competitions until the Russian invasion is over.”

According to Reuters, the letter was reportedly sent to ISU Athletes Commission Chairman Eric Radford (Canada) and other members.

The ISU banned Belarusian athletes from participating in international competitions that were sympathetic to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But in March, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued guidelines for a gradual return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competition as individuals.

IOC President Thomas Bach (Germany) insisted that “Russian and Belarusian athletes have competed in tennis and other international competitions, but no problems have arisen.”메이저사이트

There was also a voice saying that athletes from the two countries should participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics next year in their individual capacity. In this situation, Ukrainian figure skaters raised their voices that the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes should be maintained until the end of the war.

Russia, which has been a figure skating powerhouse since the days of the former Soviet Union, took over the women’s singles, pairs, and ice dance events after the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. In the case of women’s singles, they swept medals on the senior as well as junior stages, and won the ISU World Team Trophy in the 2021 national team competition, beating the United States and Japan.

However, after the invasion of Ukraine, he was banned from participating in international competitions organized by the ISU for the 2022-2023 season. In addition, Russia’s position was shaken by the ‘doping scandal’ of Kamila Balieva (17, Russia), who shook the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Meanwhile, Oksana Baiul (45, Ukraine, women’s singles gold medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics), who brought Ukraine its first Olympic gold medal after independence from the former Soviet Union, said last month, “I don’t want to see Russian athletes compete in a war situation.” said.