--- title: "We must work to keep Russians and Belarusians out of the Olympics: interview with Guttsait" description: "NOC of Ukraine President Vadym Guttsait discussed the fight against the IOC and international federations to bar Russians and Belarusians from sports events." date: 2026-10-06T04:02:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/interview-vadym-guttsait-russian-belarusian-olympics tags: [olympics, ioc, ukraine, russia, belarus, sport-politics] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # We must work to keep Russians and Belarusians out of the Olympics: interview with Guttsait ![NOC of Ukraine President Vadym Guttsait](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/06/intervyu-vadima-guttsayta-o-dopuske-rossiyan-na-olimpiadu/intervyu-vadima-guttsayta-o-dopuske-rossiyan-na-olimpiadu-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - The NOC of Ukraine continues to fight for the complete exclusion of athletes from Russia and Belarus from international tournaments. - New IOC recommendations complicate the task as many federations use relaxations. - The political stance of country leaders and city mayors plays a crucial role in barring athletes. - The issue of athletes' silence and verification criteria remain contentious and difficult to verify. President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine Vadym Guttsait gave an extensive interview on the International Olympic Committee's new policy regarding the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to world championships. The NOC head emphasized that the Ukrainian side is waging a continuous struggle to prevent representatives of the aggressor states from participating in international events, cooperating with both sports officials and international federations. This topic remains a key challenge for the Ukrainian sports leadership in the current realities. ### IOC Position and the Role of International Federations According to Vadym Guttsait, the situation is complicated by the fact that after the IOC changed its recommendations, many international federations began using new easing measures due to a lack of understanding of the realities of the conflict in Ukraine. The NOC, together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, regularly sends evidence against specific athletes involved in military operations. However, the degree of effectiveness of such measures varies: some federations approach answers formally or have biased leadership, while others, such as the figure skating federation, promptly respond to facts of aggression support and suspend violators. ### Experience of the Paris Olympics and the Importance of Political Support Recalling the Paris Games, the NOC head noted the successful experience of joint work with the IOC, thanks to which it was possible to apply strict admission criteria that excluded athletes associated with the CSKA and Dynamo clubs. However, new trends show that public sports organizations are not always able to resist pressure. In this regard, a direct political line is critically important: the active position of city mayors, prime ministers, and state presidents who implement principled bans on the ground or demand the strictest neutral status, as was the case at the rhythmic gymnastics competitions in Romania. ### Contradictory Data There are noticeable discrepancies in assessments of the prospects for the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in future international starts. On the one hand, official sports officials and softened IOC recommendations pave the way for the return of athletes in a neutral status subject to a number of conditions. On the other hand, the Ukrainian side insists on the complete isolation of representatives of the aggressor, pointing to the impossibility of an objective assessment of the 'silent consent' of athletes living under a harsh political regime. The issue of the effectiveness of international federations also remains controversial: some organizations severely suppress manifestations of support for the war, while others limit themselves to formal replies. ### Future Tasks and Prospects for Winter and Children's Sports Summarizing the results of his tenure and outlining tasks for the next four years, Vadym Guttsait emphasized that the IOC has not yet approved the new provisions as final. This leaves room for maneuver and the continuation of work to collect evidence of athletes' involvement in the conflict, especially in the occupied territories. In addition to the international agenda, the NOC continues to solve internal tasks, including funding issues, state prizes for medalists, and support for children's and winter sports, which face serious infrastructural and financial difficulties. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Надо работать, чтобы россиян и белорусов не было на Олимпиаде: интервью с Гутцайтом](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/othersport/mok-rosiyani-olimpiadah-groshi-sportsmeniv-1791134566.html) - Основной источник интервью с президентом НОК Украины Вадимом Гутцайтом. - [НОК Украины будет бороться за недопуск спортсменов из РФ и Беларуси к международным ...](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82/20230203-%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BA-%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%8B-%D0%B1%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%82-%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%8C%D1%81%D1%8F-%D0%B7%D0%B0-%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BF%D1%83%D1%81%D0%BA-%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82%D1%81%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2-%D0%B8%D0%B7-%D1%80%D1%84-%D0%B8-%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D0%B8-%D0%BA-%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%B6%D0%B4%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%BC-%D1%81%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F%D0%BC) - Контекст о позиции НОК по изоляции спортсменов агрессоров. - [Без командных видов и в нейтральном статусе. Названы условия допуска россиян на Олимпиаду](https://tass.ru/sport/25108283) - Информация об условиях и рекомендациях МОК по допуску в нейтральном статусе. - [МОК сформулировал рекомендации по допуску россиян и белорусов на международные соревнования](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82/20230329-%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BA-%D1%81%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BC%D1%83%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BB-%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%BF%D0%BE-%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BF%D1%83%D1%81%D0%BA%D1%83-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%8F%D0%BD-%D0%B8-%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B2-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%B6%D0%B4%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B5-%D1%81%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F) - Контекст о позиции НОК по изоляции спортсменов агрессоров. ## ❓ FAQ