“I applaud Nancy Faeser’s principled stance on the necessity of barring Russian and Belarusian athletes. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba praised the German official’s decision. The accusations that formed the basis of the warrant – the abduction of children from the occupied territories in Ukraine – constitute a 'terrible war crime,' the minister said. She emphasized the importance of this act because 'an arrest warrant is much more than symbolism.' According to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, she hopes that Putin will have to answer before the UN International Criminal Court for the murderous war he is waging against the peaceful Ukrainian population. Read also: Ombudsman to IOC: no place for neutrality when it comes to genocideįaeser also commented on the warrant for Vladimir Putin's arrest, issued by the International Criminal Court. At the same time, she does not think that German athletes will join such boycott. The politician noted that Ukrainians would boycott such competitions. She called it completely unacceptable for Ukrainian athletes to face athletes competing for a country that kills so many civilians in Ukraine. The IOC must prevent this catastrophic signal,' Faeser emphasized. 'Giving warmonger Putin a propaganda stage would betray all the values of sport. In her opinion, providing the opportunity for athletes from the Russian Federation to participate in international competitions would be 'a slap in the face to Ukrainian athletes.' Read also: IOC says boycott of Olympics will 'hurt' Ukrainian athletes We will always act based on a clear position,' politician said.

If we organize international competitions in Germany, we can act accordingly. They can control participation of Russians by issuing visas. 'Countries that host major sporting events are not powerless.

The minister said that Germany may deny entry to Russian athletes even if the International Olympic Committee allows them to compete.

This was stated by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Nancy Faeser, who spoke in an interview with the Funke media group, Ukrinform reports.

Signal offline messenger