Matvii Bidny, the minister of youth and sports, believes that discussing the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in next year’s Winter Olympic Games is premature due to ongoing peace negotiations over the war in Ukraine.
Asked about the possibility of athletes returning after a peace agreement is reached, Bidny said: "I think it is still too early to talk about that."
We have many problems with preparing for competitions. We have many fallen coaches and athletes, we have suffered many losses because of the war, because of Russia. I think we are still too far from a final position when one can say that justice has been achieved
- Matvii Bidny, minister of youth and sports
He also noted that international sports organizations sometimes try to support Russian and Belarusian athletes by referring to the principles of sporting autonomy and political neutrality.
But everyone should understand that war is not politics — war is a crime. And if you commit a crime, I think you should not be allowed to have an international arena or to justify your crime
- Matvii Bidny, minister of youth and sports
On Thursday, 27 November, the IJF Executive Committee decided to restore the full participation of Russian athletes, allowing them to compete under their national flag starting from the Grand Slam tournament in Abu Dhabi in 2025.
