Elina Svitolina called for athletes from Russia and Belarus not to be allowed to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has called for athletes from Russia and Belarus not to be allowed to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics because of the Russian military invasion of the territory of Ukraine, which began nearly 12 months ago.

“The Olympic Games are the biggest dream and a huge privilege for every athlete. It is the biggest event in the world of sports and it attracts the world’s attention. We must stick to the ban on the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus. We want to show that we are united in the sanctions imposed on these two countries. The heinous actions of the governments of Russia and Belarus have consequences. The peoples of Russia and Belarus, as well as the world, may not know about the atrocities that are being committed in Ukraine”, wrote Elina Svitolina in a social media statement.

Earlier today, Latvia threatened to boycott next year’s Paris Olympics if Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete.

Elina Svitolina is a Ukrainian professional tennis player. She reached career-high rankings of world No 3 in singles and 108 in doubles. She has won 16 WTA Tour singles titles and finished runner-up three times. Elina Svitolina has not played tennis since giving birth to her first child nearly 4 months ago.