Ukraine may boycott Summer Olympics

The head of Ukraine’s Olympic committee, Vadim Guttsait, said Tuesday evening that if Russia and Belarus are allowed to compete in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, Ukraine may not participate. He said while the Olympics should be about international unity, Russian and Belarusian athletes have turned the games political. Guttsait said it’s up to the full Ukrainian Olympic committee to decide whether or not to participate in the games.

Why is Guttsait angry? The head of Russia’s Olympic committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, has said Russia is preparing as if its athletes are going to Paris. The International Olympic Committee has suggested some Russians and Belarusians could try to qualify and compete as “neutral” athletes without uniforms, flags, and anthems. Although Guttsait and Pozdnyakov once fenced on the same post-Soviet Olympic team, Guttsait said his former friend is now his enemy for supporting the war against Ukraine and encouraging athletes to take part in the war.

Dig deeper: Read Sharon Dierberger’s report about the fastest-growing game in America, which may join the ranks of other Olympic sports.