March 9, 2023. OTTAWA, ON. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) welcomes the strong and principled stand taken by more than 40 Canadian Olympians who signed an open letter urging the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) to withdraw support for “neutral” Russian athletes competing at the Paris 2024 Games.
“The Ukrainian Canadian community welcomes the courageous moral stand taken by Canadian Olympians in support of Ukraine. Sport cannot be used by a genocidal Russian regime to further its murderous ends,” stated Alexandra Chyczij, National President of the UCC. “The UCC calls on the Canadian Olympic Committee to hear the voice of these athletes, who have shown the COC what Canadian principles and values truly mean.”
A report from the CBC on the Olympians’ letter is available here:
Canadian Olympians demand COC withdraw support of ‘neutral’ Russian athletes at Paris Games
The UCC has advocated to the Government of Canada and the COC to do everything in their power to ensure that the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes is maintained and neither are allowed to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Previous statements by the UCC are available here:
March 7 – No Russian athletes at the Olympics!
February 3 – UCC calls on the Canadian Olympic Committee to Stand with Ukraine
