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The Ukrainian Sports activities Ministry has reportedly advised its athletes to keep away from taking photographs with Russian counterparts on the Winter Olympics
Officers from the Ukrainian Sports activities Ministry have reportedly suggested their athletes at subsequent month’s Winter Olympics in Beijing to keep away from talking Russian throughout interviews.
In response to Russia’s Match TV, it has additionally been steered that Ukrainian athletes ought to refuse to seem in images that includes Russian sports activities stars all through the Video games.
This comes amid heightened tensions between the 2 international locations, in addition to prior cases throughout the Tokyo Olympics final summer season which prompted the intervention of high-level officers of the Ukrainian authorities.
One such flashpoint got here final August when Ukraine Deputy Protection Minister Anna Malyar known as for a gathering with excessive jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who can also be a junior military sergeant, after she was seen embracing Russian excessive bounce champion Maria Lasitskene.
Malyar hit out at what she noticed as Mahuchikh’s “careless conduct” throughout what she described on the time because the “Russian-Ukrainian conflict“.
She additionally implied that Mahuchikh might turn out to be a goal for the Russian intelligence neighborhood as a consequence of her actions, a solutions which was dismissed by a consultant of the Russian International Ministry.
“Our athletes present a world class [approach], demonstrating pure sport with out politics and intrigue,” stated Maria Zakharova.
An identical scenario arose throughout the Paralympics, although this time experiences indicated {that a} Ukrainian rival of double-gold successful Russian athlete Dmitry Safronov refused to be pictured alongside him, prompting hypothesis he had been advised to not be photographed alongside Russian athletes.
“How did he react? That is his enterprise,” stated Safronov of Ihor Tsvietov’s obvious refusal to be photographed on the winners’ podium.
“[Patriotism] is calculated, however for me it’s calculated in gold medals.”
Tsvietov’s actions later drew criticism, in accordance with Sport Specific, for being disrespectful to the “Paralympic motion”.
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