Ukrainian athletes’ human rights have “not been addressed” by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and a UN expert in the debate over Russia’s and Belarus’s readmission to global sports events, according to a leading human‑rights authority. Patricia Wiater said it was “unfortunate” that neither the IOC nor UN special rapporteur on cultural rights Alexandra Xanthaki had considered protecting the rights of Ukraine’s athletes. Wiater, who authored the German Olympic Sports Confederation’s legal opinion justifying the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, spoke to reporters—alongside Ukrainian and non‑Ukrainian athletes—after the IOC’s recommendation on Tuesday to allow athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus to compete as individual neutrals in upcoming international competitions. The athletes have been largely barred since Russia invaded Ukraine in February of last year.
“The question is whether the proposed conditions for readmission are enough to guarantee that Ukrainian athletes’ human rights are respected,” Wiater said during the press conference via Zoom. “Are they proportionate and adequate to prevent sporting events from being abused for war propaganda?” she added, noting that the issue was absent from both the IOC’s statement and the special rapporteur’s remarks, yet remains crucial when evaluating readmission.
Ukrainian tennis player Lesia Tsurenko—who withdrew from a match against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka earlier this month after a panic attack—believes her compatriots feel forgotten. Her comments echo those of Poland’s world‑number‑one Iga Świątek, who has criticised the WTA for insufficient support of Ukrainian players. “Why is no one thinking about the discrimination of Ukrainians?” Tsurenko asked. “We only hear about discrimination of Russians. What about the Ukrainians?”
The IOC has not yet decided whether Russians and Belarusians can compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but their re‑entry would allow them to qualify for the quadrennial event. This month, the fencing federation pre‑empted the IOC recommendation by reopening its competitions to athletes from the two countries. The move prompted a forceful letter from more than 300 current and former fencers, accusing Bach—himself an Olympic‑gold‑medal‑winning fencer—and interim fencing federation president Emmanuel Katsiadakis of prioritising Russians over Ukrainians. “Here we are talking about life, not just about competing,” German fencer Lea Krüger told the press conference, dismissing the IOC’s conditions for the Russians’ return as “not enough.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced at the end of last month that 228 athletes and coaches had been killed in the conflict. Speculation of a boycott has grown if Russians and Belarusians are permitted to compete as neutral athletes at the Olympic Games. Ukrainian fencing legend Olga Kharlan, Olympic team gold medallist in 2008, called it “unbelievable” that Russians might attend while Ukrainians could not. “We must do everything to ensure that Russians and Belarusians cannot go because of their actions and propaganda,” she said. “As an athlete I would like to go, but as a Ukrainian citizen it is hard to imagine sitting next to them, knowing they support the war or remain silent about it.”
While there were warm words for World Athletics and its president Sebastian Coe for banning Russian and Belarusian athletes, other governing bodies faced criticism for failing to match rhetoric with action. Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk expressed astonishment at the WTA’s response when she and fellow Ukrainians refused to play Russian opponents. “Their answer was we will freeze your ranking and you can return once the war is over,” she said. “That is ridiculous. We have felt extremely discriminated against this past year by the WTA, ATP and ITF.” Kostyuk called for basic fair‑play rules to be respected, adding, “We will keep playing because we have to keep our careers alive and fight.” Tsurenko noted her surprise at Australian Open champion Sabalenka’s claim that she was hated in the locker room because of the war, saying, “I think this is another game they are starting; now they are the victims, we are not.”
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