After an alleged Russian attack on a sports stadium, Ukraine criticizes the argument that sports are “beyond politics”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (Credit: NIETFELD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
A day following an alleged Russian attack destroyed an ice rink in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine’s foreign minister criticized the argument that sports should be “beyond politics.”
“I invite all sports officials who want Russian athletes to participate in international competitions because ‘sport is beyond politics’, including IOC President Thomas Bach, to visit the ‘Altair’ and see for themselves the ‘ sports neutrality’ of Russia,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Instagram on Tuesday.
A Russian attack destroyed an ice rink in Druzhkivka, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the Ukrainian head of the Donetsk region’s military administration, said Tuesday.
Kubela added that national and international competitions were held in that stadium.
“Children and adults train here. It was not just a sports facility, but one of the key stadiums for the development of Ukrainian sports and the largest hockey and figure skating school in Ukraine. The only hits here were hockey bullets. Until the ‘depoliticized’ Russian bombs fell,” he said.
Ukraine’s presidential office last month criticized the
The day following an alleged Russian attack that destroyed an ice rink in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine’s foreign minister criticized the argument that sports should be “beyond politics.”
“I invite all sports officials who want to allow Russian athletes to participate in international competitions, because ‘sport is beyond politics’, including IOC President Thomas Bach, to visit the ‘Altair’ and see for themselves. Russia’s ‘sports neutrality’ themselves,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Instagram on Tuesday.
A Russian attack destroyed an ice rink in Druzhkivka, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the Ukrainian head of the Donetsk region’s military administration, said on Tuesday.
Kubela added that Ukrainian and international competitions were held in the arena.
“Children and adults train here. It was not just a sports facility, but one of the key stadiums for the development of Ukrainian sports and the largest hockey and figure skating school in Ukraine. The only hits here were hockey bullets. Until the ‘depoliticized’ Russian bombs fell,” he said.
Ukraine’s presidential office last month criticized FIFA for refusing to show a Video message from President Volodomyr Zelensky at Qata’s Lusali Stadiumr before the World Cup final.
CNN’s Matthew Chance contributed to this report.