July 14, 2025, 12:21 p.m.
Usually in sports, we pay more attention to the results on the field - who won, who took the next championship, who may have been injured or made a comical mistake. But now we live in a society that cannot ignore the trends in how attitudes toward Ukraine and its representatives are changing. Three typical moments when sports "outside politics" turned against us have developed this week. We'll talk about them below. Read more about it in the digest of sports events from the South by Intent.
Fencing. Admission of "neutral" Russian military
Alisher Usmanov. Photo: Getty Images
- After the Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov regained power in the International Fencing Federation (FIE) at the beginning of the year, it was only a matter of time before the already loyal to the Russians federation turned towards even greater connivance with the aggressors.
- And so, at the beginning of the week, it became known that 36 (!) participants from Russia and Belarus were admitted to the next World Cup. Some of them have fascinating facts in their biographies - for example, among the "neutrals" are Russian Army Major Sofya Velikaya, Lieutenant Yana Yegoryan, and Warrant Officer Olga Nikitina.
The "neutral" Yana Yegoryan. Collage: National Fencing Federation of Ukraine
- In addition to being a member of the armed forces of the aggressor country, Yegoryan was also noted for her participation in an event that promoted the so-called "DPR." The neutrality we deserve.
- Olena Kravatska, an Olympic champion and saber fencer from Odesa, commented on the situation best.
They were let in. Just like that. Not the "neutral" ones. Not those who condemned the war. They were soldiers of the aggressor country.
At a time when missiles are falling in Ukraine every day. When we spend the night in parking lots. When we bury our friends. And we are told: "sport is out of politics".
This is not sport. This is a betrayal.
- The National Fencing Federation of Ukraine, athletes and journalists appealed to the FIE to reconsider their decision and at least not violate their own rules, which were relaxed towards the aggressor. I hope that if not conscience, then at least formal compliance with the rules will help and we will not see those whose hands are covered in blood at the competition.
Tennis. Alexandra Oliynykova and censorship
Alexandra Oliynykova. PHOTO: _drones4ua.org_/Instagram
- Ukrainian tennis player Oleksandra Oliynykova is having the best season of her career from a sporting point of view. This week, she won the ITF W75 tournament in The Hague and moved up to the top 200 in the world rankings.
- These are remarkable achievements, especially considering the pressure Oleksandra has to cope with. The organizers repeatedly forced Oleksandra to change her clothes because of the information about the drones4ua website on her uniform (it's easy to guess why). Oliynykova was also fined for her statements not in court, but in her own social media (!).
"Those who must not be named" put pressure on me at every second tournament, leaving me with a traumatic experience.
They love to dress me up. It's a kind of fun for them. In fact, they need to protect Russians because, imagine, some Ukrainians dare to remind them that they are being killed, and this is not commercial.
- According to Oleksandra, these cynical actions are explained, as always, by the slogan "sport is out of politics." The reasonable remark that she is not campaigning for any political force, unlike the "neutrals" who are directly linked to the pro-Russian propaganda machine, does not find any response. Nevertheless, Oleksandra continues to win, to remind us of the need to help Ukraine, and, I am sure, to irritate the Russians even more.
Oleksandra Oliynykova with the Ukrainian and Croatian flags. Photo: _drones4ua.org_/Instagram
- By the way, Oliynykova regained her Ukrainian sports citizenship after the full-scale invasion. Before that, the athlete played for Croatia, where she left Odesa at the age of 10 with her family.
Gymnastics. Ilya Kovtun and his new shoes
Croatia's Ilya Kovtun and Irina Gorbacheva. PHOTO: Base of Ukrainian Sports
- But gymnast and Olympic medalist Ilya Kovtun went the other way. This week, he officially became a Croatian citizen and, after serving a one-year ban, will compete under the flag with a chessboard.
- There is nothing strange about changing sports citizenship, and it should be considered a betrayal with great caution. But Ilya is a special case. He positioned himself as a patriot everywhere, got four (!) pro-Ukrainian tattoos, came to the national team without any problems. But as soon as he and his coach Iryna Horbachova received an offer, their eyes were opened to the problems of national gymnastics, how everything is not working properly, and how ungrateful the country is to them (it was estimated that Kovtun and Horbachova received 8.5 million hryvnias from the budget in 2023-24, while they were abroad all the time).
Ilya Kovtun with the tattoo "Home". Photo: ua.tribuna.com
- What can Kovtun expect with his new passport? An interesting opinion was expressed by MP and wrestling champion Zhan Beleniuk:
The main thing is that Ilya does not face a situation like the Russian wrestler Ramazanov, whom no one even came to meet at the Sofia airport (he currently represents Bulgaria) after he won a gold medal at the European Championships.
The moral of all three stories? There is no moral. This is not 2022, when some people in the world have awakened their conscience and others are afraid of the consequences. Ukrainians will be pressured and forced to make peace. Other countries will take advantage of our misfortune and lure athletes, especially young ones. Only our unity and desire for justice can help us.
As usual, we wish you and your favorite athletes and teams success!
Адлен Муатс