The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Sports Committee of Ukraine officially appealed to the president of the International Association of the World Games, Jose Perurena Lopez, with a call to maintain the ban on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the XII World Games of 2025, which will be held in the Chinese city of Chengdu.
In their letter, the Ukrainian representatives emphasized that Russia continues its aggression against Ukraine, and Belarus actively supports these actions. The war unleashed by Russia brought untold suffering to the Ukrainian people, in particular, the Ukrainian sports community suffered significant losses. During the full-scale invasion, more than 500 Ukrainian athletes and coaches were killed, and more than 500 sports infrastructure facilities were destroyed.
Ukraine believes that under such conditions it is impossible to return Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions. The continuation of sanctions against these countries is necessary until the complete cessation of aggression and the establishment of a just peace.
In 2022, the International Association of the World Games decided to ban the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in its competitions. The Ukrainian side calls for maintaining these sanctions for the upcoming games in 2025 to demonstrate the solidarity of the international sports community with Ukraine.
"We count on your continued solidarity with Ukraine and our sports movement", - emphasized in the joint appeal signed by Minister of Youth and Sports Matviy Bidny, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiga and President of the Sports Committee of Ukraine Ilya Shevlyak.
