Newsletter

The Ukrainian decathlete would compete in the Olympics in a year. He fell at Bachmut

Volodymyr Androschuk was the hope of the Ukrainian decathlon. It would have to go very downhill with his form to not qualify for the Olympics in Paris next year.

Androschuk will no longer travel to France. The 22-year-old athlete, who after the Russian invasion of Ukraine voluntarily decided to defend his homeland with a weapon in hand, fell. He died at the end of January in fierce clashes with the Russian occupiers in the village of Jampolivka near Bachmut.

As described by the local media, he was hit by a fragment of an artillery shell. The blood loss was massive, the doctors could no longer help him.

“A promising athlete and a true hero. He could have participated in the Olympic Games in Paris if Russia had not invaded Ukraine.” it says in the message of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, which reported on Androschuk’s death.

At the beginning of February, a number of athletes offered their condolences to the athlete during his final farewell, according to Reuters.

“He had a long and happy life ahead of him. He had a strong will and all the prerequisites for being successful,” said Dmytro Korbenko, who is also the Ukrainian representative in the decathlon, at the funeral.

Just the year before last, the athlete finished sixth at the Junior European Championship in the decathlon, and according to his friends, a promising sports career awaited him.

The decathlete is the second well-known Ukrainian athlete to have fallen at Bakhmut while fighting Russian forces. A few days earlier, the twenty-five-year-old figure skater Dmytro Šarpar, who had already performed at international competitions before the invasion, died.

Russia and the Olympic Games

The International Olympic Committee basically gave the green light to Russian athletes who want to participate in the Summer Olympics in Paris. They could compete as “neutral athletes”.

But it is not enough for Moscow. She wants to ensure that her representatives are allowed to go to the Olympics without any restrictions.

At the funeral, Androschuk’s friends and family condemned the fact that the International Olympic Committee even allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Olympics. According to the IOC’s plan, they could appear on those as “neutral athletes” and only if they do not actively support the war in Ukraine.

“How can anyone even let Russians and Belarusians compete? There is no place for them at the Olympics,” pointed out the Ukrainian representative in the javelin throw, Artur Felfner.

And Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina sees it anyway. “One of Ukraine’s rising stars in the decathlon was murdered in combat. They will never fulfill their potential and dreams of participating in the Games, so why should Russian and Belarusian athletes get a chance when their governments are robbing innocent people of their chances?” the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist wrote on Twitter.

The participation of Russian athletes is also unthinkable for a number of countries, as many as 40 countries are considering a boycott. Polish Sports and Tourism Minister Kamil Bortniczuk said he believed in forming a coalition of states, including Great Britain, the United States and Canada, to support blocking the IOC’s plans. In such a case, they say, organizing the games would lose its meaning.

“It is extremely regrettable to escalate this discussion with the threat of a boycott at such an early stage,” the IOC responded on Thursday.

Read more

According to the Polish Minister of Sports and Tourism, up to 40 countries could boycott the next Olympics. The scenario in which Russian athletes would participate in the event has already been rejected, for example, by the states in the Baltic States. The Czechia would not join the boycott.

However, Russian athletes at the Olympic Games have not been able to compete under their country’s flag since 2016. Back then, the organizers did not allow a full third of the Russian team to participate based on revelations of state-organized doping.

Nevertheless, Russian athletes continued to participate in the Olympics, only they could not have the name of their country written on their clothing or use its colors.

After the start of the February invasion, Russia and Belarus were denied participation in most international sporting events. National teams were excluded from world championships in football or hockey.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending