Russian Olympic champion Lasitskene calls for an end of sanctions

Maria Lasitskene, who won the gold medal in the high jump at the Tokyo Olympics, has called on the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, to lift the sanctions against Russian athletes over her country’s actions in Ukraine.

Lasitskene has experienced past sanctions against her country. Russia was barred from competing in the 2016 Rio games when the Court of Arbitration (CAS) upheld their decision to ban the Russian Track and Field Federation for systematic doping.

She also stood atop the podium at last Summer’s Tokyo Olympics without the Russian flag or anthem due to the continuing doping sanctions against the country.

In an open letter, Lasitskene accused the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, of orchestrating a scheme in using Russian passports as a “trump card” sidelining a majority of Russian athletes.

Lasitskene criticized Bach for his statements last month regarding the rights of those who do not support Russia’s war in Ukraine should be respected and that “there should be no sanction for holding a passport.”

“My main colleagues in the high jump sector are Ukrainian girls. And I still don’t know what to say them or how to look into their eyes,” she wrote.

“They and their friends and relatives are experiencing what no human being should ever have to feel. I am sure that nothing of this never should have happened.”

In February, the IOC issued a recommendation to international sports organizations asking them to remove Russian and Belarus athletes from their competitions due to the Russian troops in Ukraine.

Many of the international federations adhered to the IOC recommendation.

Bach has described the sidelining of Russian and Belarusian athletes as “protective measures”, to protect the athletes safety due to “the deep anti-Russian and anti-Belarusian feelings in so many countries following the invasion.”

The three time world champion Lasitskene sees the sanctions as disingenuous, pointing to Russian tennis players currently being allowed to play on the world tour as an example.

In response to the restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes, Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov said that the country was experiencing ‘unprecedented restrictions’ which may start to affect qualifications of its athletes for the upcoming Summer Games in Paris 2024.