In the Czech Republic, they are demanding that Russian athletes not be allowed to participate in the Olympics because of the death of a Ukrainian basketball player in Lviv

The former star of the Czech hockey team and the Czech MEP are demanding that Russian and Belarusian athletes not be allowed to the Olympics in Paris, “because their governments have the blood of Ukrainian athletes on their hands.”

The reason for the new statements was the death of a well-known Ukrainian coach and former basketball player from Friday’s shelling in Lviv Viktor Kobzisty.

Legendary Czech goalkeeper Dominic Hasekwho played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for teams such as the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators and was recognized as one of the best goaltenders of all time, voiced yet another protest against the participation of Russian athletes in world competitions.

In an appeal to the International Olympic Committee, the National Hockey League, tennis associations, and the Czech Olympic team, Hasek expressed his indignation at their silence and continued cooperation with Russian athletes.

“Just another dead Ukrainian civilian athlete killed by Russian terrorists. How many more IOCs? @iocmedia
@NHL @WTA @atptour and others supporting this Russian murder promotion? And will the Olympic team not condemn such an attitude with the boss Kejval? And what about Strahov Stadium (in Prague)? Will you continue to allow Russians to compete in the Czech Republic?” the famous athlete tweeted.

In June, Hasek, who won gold with the Czech Republic at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, said in an interview with the AR agency that he was sure that the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the summer Olympics in Paris would be “a big advertisement for the Russian war “.

A Czech MEP joined the campaign led by Hasek, who is a well-known public figure in his country and in the international arena. Tomasz Zdehovskyi.

“A Ukrainian basketball player died in Lviv as a result of Russian shelling Viktor Kobzisty. He was a coach, master of sports of Ukraine of international class.

Now you understand why we are with Dominik Hasek are we fighting against the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympics?

Because their governments have the blood of Ukrainian athletes on their hands,” wrote Zdehovsky on the X network (formerly Twitter).

In September, the Olympic and Paralympic Committees of Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland issued a joint statement demanding that the IOC suspend all Russian athletes from the Olympics in Paris.

In a joint statement joined by three other Scandinavian territories – Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Åland Islands – the Olympic Committees of the Nordic countries once again reiterated their position since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine: they do not want to hear about the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions, even in neutral status.

“The situation of the war in Ukraine has not changed,” said the press release written following the results of the meeting held in Greenland. – Therefore, we remain firm in our position not to open international sports competitions for Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials. In our opinion, now is not the time to consider their return.”

Despite this, at the beginning of December, the IOC decided to allow some Russian athletes to participate in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. Thus, the IOC canceled the possibility of a complete ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in the Olympics due to their countries’ invasion of Ukraine.

“The International Olympic Committee’s decision confirmed steps taken a year ago to reintegrate Russia and its military ally Belarus into global sport, and comes nine months after the IOC called on sports governing bodies to find ways to allow individual athletes to compete,” AR notes.

As the Voice of America wrote, the decision of the IOC caused protests by Ukrainian diplomats and some heads of sports associations.

“The IOC actually gave Russia the green light to weaponize the Olympic Games. Because the Kremlin will use every Russian and Belarusian athlete as a weapon in its propaganda war. I call on all partners to strongly condemn this shameful decision, which undermines the Olympic principles,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba.

The president of the World Council of Athletics also expressed his indignation at the decision of the IOC immediately after its announcement Sebastian Coe and General Director of the international movement of athletes Global Athlete Rob Koehlerwho said that “The IOC ignored the calls of thousands of athletes for a complete ban on both Russia and Belarus.”

Former Ukrainian basketball player Viktor Kobzisty, who was 44 years old, died in Lviv during the largest wartime air attack on Ukraine on the night of Friday, December 29.

In total, 39 people died from the attack on the entire territory of Ukraine with the use of missiles and drones, according to the government on Saturday.

The Ukrainian basketball player was considered one of the biggest stars of his country, Basketball Sphere writes. In 2001 and 2005, he played at the Eurobasket for “Budivelnik”, “Dnipro” (Dnipropetrovsk), “Azovmash” (Mariupol). Kobzisty also played for teams in Russia and Bulgaria.

The most successful period for him was in the Kyiv team, where he participated in European Cups, in particular, in the European Cup, the publication notes.

His 20-year-old son Oleksandr became a member of the Serbian Mega team this year and is considered one of the biggest talents in European basketball.