Ukraine Says Hundreds of War Victims from Sport
By Ed Hula
The Russian war against Ukraine has killed at least 644 sportspeople and damaged three quarters of Ukraine’s sports facilities, according to a UN diplomat. The figures may be the first public accounting of the toll the Russian invasion has taken on sport in Ukraine.
Dmytro Tymoshenko, First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN, included those figures and more in his remarks November 19 to the United Nations General Assembly.
On the agenda for the session was the adoption of the Olympic Truce covering the Milano/Cortina Winter Olympics. The truce was an element of a more obliquely titled resolution “Sport for development and peace: building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal”. The document is similar to what has been presented to the UN ahead of every recent summer or winter Olympic Games.
The resolution was presented to the general assembly during some two hours of remarks by nearly three dozen member nations. Those delegates scattered about an otherwise empty assembly hall, with IOC president Kirsty Coventry and her IOC colleague from Italy, Giovanni Malago watching from the sidelines. Both spoke to the assembly.
But it was Tymoshenko, and the representative from the European Union, who were the only ones to address the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Tymoshenko was the most direct in his remarks.
“The ability of sport to serve as a force for peace is gravely undermined by Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. This war has caused devastating consequences for Ukraine’s sports sector. Russian aggression has disrupted athletes’ preparation for competitions, led to the cancellation or postponement of numerous events, restricted access to training facilities and caused the partial or complete destruction of sports infrastructure,” the diplomat said.
“The Russian Federation has killed at least 644 members of Ukraine’s sports community, injured 20 others, while 20 remain in captivity and 13 are missing. At least 799 sports facilities in Ukraine have been attacked by Russia, of which 180 were completely destroyed, 134 partially destroyed and 420 severely or partially damaged. Belarus has actively assisted Russia in committing these crimes,” Tymoshenko said.
Coventry did not specifically mention the Russia-Ukraine conflict in her remarks nor by name any other dispute involving sport and politics. In the past month the IOC levied sanctions against Indonesia for refusing to grant visas to Israeli athletes to compete at the world championships in gymnastics. The government of the world’s most populous nation said the Israelis represented a threat to public safety if they were allowed to enter. Coventry spoke in broader terms about the impact political decisions have on sport and athletes.
“They can only inspire the next generation if they are able to compete. In this divided world, we need to work together to keep sport and politics apart. This means athletes must be able to enter host countries and take part in competitions — not face the threat of being left back at home because they are denied a visa for politically motivated reasons. The final list of competitors must be decided by International Federations, not by governments. And athletes must not be judged on where they come from but rather on their sporting merits,” said the IOC leader.
Both Russia and Belarus have been suspended from the IOC. Athletes from either country must prove neutrality and no affiliation with government or military. No team sports are allowed from these countries at the Olympics nor are the national flag or anthem allowed.
Delegates from both countries were among speakers at the general assembly lauding the resolution. But neither mentioned the warfare they are carrying out against Ukraine. It’s an irony not lost upon the Ukraine diplomat.
“Ukraine today stands as the only country in history that, under full-scale attack, continues to send its national team to the Olympic Games — a testament to our unwavering commitment to the Olympic values of peace, dignity and justice.
“Russia often repeats the phrase ‘sport is outside politics’. But war is not politics — war is a crime. A state that wages a war of aggression, deliberately kills athletes, destroys stadiums and sports schools has no moral standing to refer to the Olympic ideal. Russia has violated the Olympic Truce at least three times, further demonstrating its disregard for the fundamental principles of the Olympic movement,” Tymoshenko said.
The resolution was adopted by consensus.