Olympic champions from 1988 in football, Oleksiy Mykhaylichenko, Oleksiy Cherdyntsev, and Yevhen Yarovyy sent a letter to the address of International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, condemning the idea of allowing athletes from Russia to participate in the 2024 Summer Games.

"We, Olympic champions and citizens of Ukraine, which is now paying an enormous price for its independence and identity, categorically condemn the idea of allowing Russian athletes to participate in the Olympics-2024. The relevant proposal was announced by the International Olympic Committee on January 25, and since then many athletes and leaders from various countries have supported Ukraine's clear position on this issue."

We draw your attention to the fact that the world community took a decisive course towards isolating Russia and its citizens who openly and publicly did not condemn the military aggression against Ukraine right from the first days of the full-scale invasion. FIFA and UEFA withdrew all Russian teams from competitions under their auspices as early as February 2022, later extending this decision to the 2022/2023 season until further notice.

We must also emphasize that no Russian sports federation has publicly condemned the military aggression against Ukraine. By doing so, they only confirmed their silent support for the crimes of the Russian army in Ukraine.

Does the IOC really intend to allow those who support the killing of innocent people into prestigious competitions? If this happens, it will be a huge reputational blow and an affront to the entire Olympic movement," — the letter states among other things.