[ad_1]
Ukraine’s newly crowned Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchik on Monday called on Russian athletes to speak out against the invasion and said she was disappointed with their silence at the Paris Olympics.
The 22-year-old high jumper, who fled Ukraine after Russia invaded the country, won the women’s high jump at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
Last month, she broke the 37-year-old world record with a score of 2.10 meters.
In an interview with AFP at Ukraine’s Olympic centre north of Paris, Mahuchik said she was disappointed that Russian athletes, competing in Paris as neutrals, had not spoken out against the invasion.
“They haven’t said anything against the war,” she said in English, adding that she didn’t know “how they could possibly participate in the Olympics” without speaking out.
“The Olympics are for peace.”
Athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus were banned from participating in world sporting events after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Russia will be represented in Paris by a small field of 15 neutral athletes, many of whom train abroad, so they mostly seek to keep a low profile.
On Sunday, 20-year-old Russian tennis player Diana Schneider refused to talk about politics.
“I’m here to talk about tennis,” Schneider told reporters after winning the silver medal.
Mahuchik said it was “horrible” that Russia had made a mockery of the idea of an Olympic truce and had continued with its invasion, now entering its third year.
“It’s impossible to compete with terrorists,” she said.
She also accused Western officials of “double standards” for expressing “solidarity with us” while allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete.
In order to compete as neutrals in Paris, international sports federations and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) verified that the competitors did not actively support the war in Ukraine or have any links with their country’s military.
They were not allowed to take part in the opening ceremony or compete under their national flag, and their results would not be included in the medal table.
However, Global Rights Compliance, a Hague-based human rights foundation, said last month that two-thirds of Russian athletes approved by the IOC to compete as neutrals had expressed support for Moscow’s invasion or had links to the military.
– “glorious future” –
Mahuchik received a hero’s welcome at the Maison Ukrainian in Paris and was feted in his hometown.
The Ukrainian media Pravda exclaimed “Yaroslava the Great”.
Mahuchik said she was so agitated that she couldn’t sleep last night.
“I’m an Olympic champion!” she said.
When asked about her plans, she said she hopes to continue competing until her 30s.
“I think I have a great future in competition,” she said with a smile, adding that she would like to break her own record.
“There’s always room for improvement,” she said. “The next step is 2.11, 2.12.”
The athlete dedicated his Olympic high jump gold medal to the nearly 500 athletes and coaches who have died since the full-scale invasion.
The photogenic athlete has posed for Vogue Ukraine and walked in the catwalks at New York Fashion Week two years ago.
“It’s so amazing and wonderful,” she said, but added that she prefers performing on the runway to fashion shows.
“I love the feeling,” she said of high jumping. “I imagine I’m a bird and I can fly.”
[ad_2]
Source link
