Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the idea of neutrality in sports at a time when his country's athletes fight and die in war, while their Russian counterparts might be allowed to compete.
Redoubling his efforts in what he called "a marathon of honesty" to stop Russian athletes from taking part in the 2024 Olympics, Zelenskyy said their presence would normalize Russia's invasion of his country.
"There is no such thing as neutrality when a war like this is going on. And we know how often tyrannies try to use sports for their ideological interests," Zelenskyy said in a Saturday evening video address.