The All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Athletes is preparing a collective appeal to the Congress of European Trade Unions in support of Ukraine and the prevention of athletes from Russia and Belarus at the Olympic Games under a neutral flag.

"The All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Athletes joins the unified position of our state, of the National Olympic Committee. Yesterday, at the presidium of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine on February 6, we raised this issue. Branch trade unions and members of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine joined us. We are preparing a collective appeal to the Congress of Europeans to support Ukraine in preventing athletes from Russia and Belarus at the Olympic Games under a neutral flag," said the head of the All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Athletes, workers in the fields of physical culture and sports, youth policy and national-patriotic education Serhiy Bizov at a press conference at the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Tuesday.

"We are also initiating a signature collection, which will be joined by the National Olympic Committee and all branch trade unions of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine," he added.

The head of the athletes commission of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine Georgiy Zantaraia added that three letters have already been sent to the athletes' commission, the IOC and the athletes' commission of the national Olympic committees of countries. He considers it promising to work with trade unions of different countries and declares the intention to create a coalition of federations, athletes and coaches who are ready to defend the independence of Ukraine.

"Today, we cannot, and it is impossible to imagine, when a Russian athlete will stand next to you on the podium or come out on the mat with you to fight. This is unacceptable while there is a war," added the Ukrainian judoka of Georgian origin, honored master of sports, world champion of 2009, vice-champion of Europe in 2009; the first world champion in judo in the history of Ukraine, deputy of the Kyiv City Council from the "Servant of the People" party Georgiy Zantaraia.

"Regarding the boycott, the issue is complex, many athletes are preparing for competitions, the Olympic Games may be once in their lifetime, and therefore we are working today to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing," Zantaraia summarized.

He added that over 230 athletes have already died in the war, about 400 sports facilities have been destroyed. Children today do not have the opportunity to train, the Olympic team cannot fully prepare for competitions.

The deputy head of the All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Athletes Yuriy Zubko reminded of the boycott of the 1980 Olympics in connection with the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan, where up to 5 million Afghans were killed and added that "most of the athletes from Russia and Belarus are military personnel - they are members of the CSK, "Dynamo," "Spartak" - these are their sports societies. Many athletes now wear epaulettes, including the FSB, police."

"Sports is politics. Sports are ambassadors of peace, not ambassadors of continuing some wars," emphasized Yuriy Zubko.

Member of the Parliament of Ukraine VII and VIII convocations, representative of trade unions in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Serhiy Kaplin noted that if the world in any form approves the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in the Olympics, after the victories of these athletes, and these victories are likely, these athletes will become agitators to mobilize young men and women to the front against Ukraine, Poland, Europe and against the entire civilized world.

"Taking into account the ambitions and the scale of audacity, tyranny, and chauvinism of Putin and his entourage, this war will not end for Europe," said Serhiy Kaplin.

"Many of them are military personnel and all of them will sooner or later become agitators," added Kaplin.

A new geopolitical culture will emerge in the world if there is a practice of tolerance for war, and if the world today supports the participation of Russians in the Olympics, it will violate the practice of the last 200 years, believes Serhiy Kaplin.

S. Kaplin proposed that the Federation of Trade Unions appeal to every city council, regional council, and every community council, and in Ukraine there are about 250,000 deputies, as well as to all sports societies, to those involved in sports, and to spectators in order to appeal to the IOC, the governments of countries, and trade unions of the world about the need not to admit Russians to the Olympics, because their participation can serve as a ticket to war for everyone in any country.

"We must not allow the legitimization of war as a phenomenon," summed up Kaplin.

The International Olympic Committee released a statement allowing the possibility of the participation of Russians and Belarusians at the Olympics in Paris under a neutral flag. This is a blatant violation of the principles of the Olympic Charter and Olympic unity.

As reported earlier, Ukraine sent letters to companies - sponsors of the International Olympic Committee about the inadmissibility of allowing Russian athletes to the Olympic Games.