Legendary Ukrainian football player Andriy Shevchenko called on the International Olympic Committee not to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to the Olympic Games.

Shevchenko stated that Russia’s war against Ukraine is more than just politics.

‘There is no politics in sport. But this war is more than just politics. Sports competitions of a high level, like the Olympics, are opportunities to share a message to all people on Earth at once. If athletes from russia or belarus enter the arena, with or without flags, it reflects this statement from the Olympics Committee to the whole world — the war is over, you can forgive everyone and forget everything’, he wrote.

Shevchenko stressed that the war is not over. Every day the war destroys Ukrainian cities, ruins the childhood of Ukrainian kids and threatens the existence of Ukraine as a nation.

‘The world must remember this. The world must know that we continue to fight for peace and defend our freedom.’

He urged the International Olympic Committee to strongly condemn Russian aggression.