Sports chiefs face losing battle to keep sport separate from politics
IOC president Kirsty Coventry wants to keep politics away from sports. However, Ukraine and former organization executives disagree, stating the two are inseparable. Russian and Ukrainian athletes will compete together at the Youth Olympics in Dakar. Thirteen Russian athletes are permitted to use their national flag and anthem.
IOC president Kirsty Coventry’s desire is that “politics does not take over on the field of play”, but Ukraine and former executives from her organisation have told AFP that politics and sport remain inseparable. Coventry’s view will be sorely tested when Ukrainian and Russian athletes — the nations embroiled in a war sparked by Russian President Vladimir Putin launching an invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — compete side-by-side in the Youth Olympics which start in the Senegalese capital Dakar on Saturday. The 13 Russian athletes will be able to parade with their national flag and hear their national anthem at