"A quarter of the federations are not able to handle their work at the international level," says the first vice president of the NOC
Oleksiy Perevezentsev, First Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, stated that Ukrainian sports federations need to take a more active stance on the issue of Russian athletes’ participation in international competitions.
According to Perevezentsev, an Interagency Working Group operates under the Ministry of Youth and Sports that addresses issues related to the admission of Ukrainian athletes to competitions where athletes from aggressor countries are also present.
He emphasized that some Ukrainian federations are taking an active and principled stance, while others, in his opinion, remain insufficiently involved in this process.
“We have capable Ukrainian federations that truly serve as role models… But there are also those that, on the surface, seem capable, yet have absolutely no desire to take action…,” Perevezentsev noted.
He stressed that some federations must initiate changes to the regulations of international sports organizations to avoid situations where Ukrainian athletes find themselves alongside representatives of aggressor countries, particularly during award ceremonies and the playing of national anthems.
He also stressed that such situations can be psychologically unacceptable for Ukrainian athletes and military personnel who are defending the country.
According to Perevezentsev’s assessment, about 25% of Ukrainian sports federations are not performing their duties adequately at the international level, particularly when it comes to protecting Ukraine’s interests in global sports.
The Ukrainian side continues to advocate for restricting the participation of athletes from aggressor countries in international competitions or minimizing their presence under neutral status.
He spoke about this in an interview with “Glavkom.”
Earlier, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine named the best female athletes and coaches for May 2026.
Previously, the NOC of Ukraine began actively monitoring the activities of Russian and Belarusian athletes participating in the XXV Winter Olympic Games in Italy.
As a reminder, Hašek called on Ukraine to demand billions in compensation for allowing Russians to participate in the Olympics.
Francesca Lollobrigida set the first record at the 2026 Olympics.
