Ukraine has signaled it will no longer bar its athletes from competing against Russians who are taking part in sporting events as “neutral athletes.'
FILE - Olga Kharlan of Ukraine reacts after defeating Cyrielle Rioux of France during the women's FIE fencing sabre grand prix competition in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 29, 2023. Ukraine has signaled it will no longer bar its athletes from competing against Russians who are taking part in sporting events as neutral athletes." That would be a significant easing of its boycott policy a year before the Paris Olympics.
Olympic champion Olga Kharlan competed against officially-neutral Russian opponent Anna Smirnova at the world fencing championships — an Olympic qualifier — on Thursday in Milan, Italy, winning their bout 15-7. However, Smirnova refused to leave after the bout for more than 50 minutes, sitting on a chair on the fencing piste in an apparent protest because Kharlan refused to shake hands at the end.
The IOC favors allowing Russians and Belarusians to compete as “neutral athletes" without national symbols in Olympic qualifying events. The governing bodies of most Olympic sports have either adopted the IOC policy already or are working on plans to do so. Ukraine had previously objected strongly to the policy, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying in January that “any neutral flag of Russian athletes is stained with blood" and that Russia would exploit their presence for propaganda.
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