89 athletes, coaches killed in Ukraine war

Photo: Ukraine president, Zelensky and IOC boss Thomas Bach in Kyiv.

By George Aluo, with agency reports

Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelensky has disclosed that the country has lost 89 athletes and coaches since Russia invaded the country early this year.

Zelensky made the painful disclosure when he met with International Olympic Committee (IOC) boss, Thomas Bach over the weekend in Kyiv.

Zelensky while calling on IOC not to allow Russia to be part of international sports further disclosed that 13 other athletes and coaches were captured and currently in captivity in Russia.

insidethegames.biz quoted Zelensky as saying that Russia’s invasion has decimated sports in Ukraine

In his words…”More than a hundred thousand Ukrainian athletes do not have the opportunity of training. Hundreds of sports facilities were destroyed: these are both large sports infrastructure facilities and facilities based on Ukrainian schools, universities and sports clubs.”

Bach during the meeting assured the Ukrainian President that the ban on Russia and Belarus would remain.

“The time has not yet come to lift such a ban,” Bach said.

The IOC President also met Ukrainian athletes at their Olympic training centre and outlined further support in preparation for future events.

The support fund now stands at $7.5 million (£6.2 million/€7.2 million) which Bach claimed would assist some 3,000 athletes at home or abroad.

“We support them in a way to be able to see a strong, successful, proud Ukrainian national Olympic team at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris and the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina,” Bach said.