Lausanne Stormy: 'Ukraine is against the participation of aggressor countries in the Olympics-2024'

Thousands of protesters in front of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 25, opposed the participation of white-Russian athletes in the Paris Olympics. War and Olympic games are incompatible, - the entire sports community of Ukraine under the auspices of the All-Ukrainian Trade Union, workers in the field of physical culture and sports, youth policy and national-patriotic upbringing.

After the 'warning shot' - a press conference of the trade union leaders together with the NOC, more drastic measures were taken in response to the statement of the International Olympic Committee, which allowed the possibility of the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the Paris Olympics under a neutral flag.

The trade union of athletes is deeply convinced that this is a clear violation of the principles of the Olympic Charter and Olympic unity.

Also, on the eve of the protest, the first deputy chairman of the All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Athletes, David Zakharjan, held talks with representatives of the International Olympic Committee, James Macleod, Director Olympic Solidarity and NOC Relations, Christian Klaue Director Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Jérôme Poivey Associate Director, Institutional Relations and Governance NOC Relations ueclumpicom.

David Zakharjan presented a statement from the All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Athletes with 290,000 signatures of athletes, coaches, Olympians, members of trade union organizations of Ukraine, condemning the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the Olympic Games under a neutral flag.

It was agreed that the mechanism will be developed and discussed with representatives of the International Olympic Committee. If athletes from Russia and Belarus want to compete in the Olympics, specific mechanisms and criteria for their access to competitions should be developed, such as official condemnation of the regime and the war against Ukraine, renunciation of Russian citizenship and the promotion of war against Ukraine in the future, with a lifelong disqualification for non-compliance with the requirements, and so on.

The weighty arguments were:

• collection of signatures of membership organizations of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine in the amount of 290,000 with further increase to 1 million signatures;

• pressure from trade unions, both Ukrainian and the participation of European trade unions in this process (including Swiss trade unions);

This is the first and unique case of protest action in the city of Lausanne (Switzerland) among members of the All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Athletes from Ukraine in front of the office of the International Olympic Committee.

The level of organization against the decision of the International Olympic Committee caused a great resonance.