April 6 is the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace. Every year on this day, athletes from all over the world joined the #whitecard campaign and displayed a white card as a sign of solidarity with the ideals of sports.
On this day, Lviv athletes decided to once again call on the entire sports community to boycott the participation of Russians in international sports competitions.
As noted in the Lviv sports administration, there is definitely no war in the ideals of sports. The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace is supposed to symbolize unity and solidarity in the world of sports, but the past year has clearly shown that Russia has devalued all principles.
“Our people are being killed, our cities are being destroyed, our sport is being driven into basements and forced to live from anxiety to anxiety. It is because of this that the participation of Russian athletes in international competitions is a privilege and a great responsibility. Today we also show a white sheet and call for #BoycottrussianSport”, – said the head of the Lviv sports department, Anton Nikulin, in a video message.
Also participated in the video call:
Andriy Demchuk is the fencing champion of the Summer Paralympic Games
Olena Starikova is a silver medalist of the Summer Olympic Games in cycling
Olena Stetskiv is a three-time participant of the Winter Olympic Games in luge sports
· Oksana Livach is an outstanding Ukrainian freestyle wrestler, winner of the world championships
Yulia Tkach is a three-time European champion in freestyle wrestling
· Kateryna Kryva is one of the best karatekas in Ukraine, European champion
· Vitaly Vergeles – rower-canoeist, champion and prize-winner of world championships
· Serhiy Makarevych – vice-champion of the world in archery
· Orysya Demyaniuk is a multiple champion of Ukraine in athletics
· Danylo Stasiuk – bronze medalist of the World Youth Wrestling Championship
· Anna Maksimenko – silver medalist of the World Cadet Fencing Championship
It will be recalled that on the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Lviv called on the sports community around the world not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. In one of the sports halls of the city, the performance “Murderers have no place at the Olympic Games” was held, where they showed Ukrainian athletes who gave their lives defending their homeland, and those who continue to fight for their native land, not for Olympic medals.