The Community of Ukrainian-Cypriot Friendship expresses its deep regret and protest regarding the invitation of Russian athletes to the Cadets & Youth & Juniors World SAMBO Championships 2024.
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in early 2022, numerous sanctions and restrictions were imposed on the aggressor, including in the field of sports. Despite this, Russians are still actively seeking any opportunity to return to the international sports arena.
To date, Russia has been officially banned from participating in sports competitions by 90% of the world’s countries. European governments have approved bans on athletes and teams representing Russia from participating in events organized in their countries.
SAMBO is one of the most popular sports in Russia, especially among military and police academies, and Russia’s two largest sports organizations—CSKA and Dynamo—are closely connected with the security forces and openly support the war and the Russian army. Dictator Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, is an honored SAMBO coach in Russia, as proudly stated on the All-Russian SAMBO Federation’s website.
A Ukrainian team is also attending the competition. For Ukrainian athletes, the war is not just words: the hometowns of many players have been destroyed or occupied by Russian forces. The cities where they currently reside are constantly under missile attacks, which kill their friends, acquaintances, loved ones, and fellow citizens. Ukrainian athletes cannot train in sports halls because they have been destroyed by the aggressor country, while their parents and loved ones die on the front lines, defending their country.
During open Russian aggression, there can be no “neutrality” in sports or admission of athletes from the aggressor country to any international competitions—this is cynicism of the highest order! We urge the SAMBO Federation of Cyprus to deny Russian athletes the right to participate under the flag of their aggressor state.