Representative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports informed European colleagues about the impact of Russian military aggression on Ukrainian sport

On 6-7 April 2022, the fourth meeting of the Council of Europe's Follow-up Committee of the Macolin Convention (T-MC) took place in a hybrid format, which was attended by Nataliia Radchuk, Deputy Head of the Ukrainian delegation to T-MC, member of the T-MC Bureau, Head of Department for International Cooperation and European Integration of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.

The event discussed a wide range of issues related to the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (The Macolin Convention), the implementation of projects and initiatives of international cooperation to combat manipulation in sport.

Nataliia Radchuk informed the delegations participating in the T-MC about the consequences of the Russian military aggression in Ukraine and its devastating impact on the sports sector.

Internally displaced athletes and coaches who were forced to leave their homes under fire, representatives of the sports movement killed and wounded in combat or during bombing, dozens of destroyed sports infrastructure facilities - these are the devastating changes the aggressor has brought to Ukraine.

Natalia Radchuk also thanked the representatives of European countries who are helping Ukrainian athletes by providing them with shelter and everything they need to organise training and prepare for important international sports competitions.

The representative of Ukraine also informed about the measures taken by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine in cooperation with the participants of the sports movement to exclude the aggressor state and its representatives from international sports federations and associations and called on European colleagues to continue sanctions pressure on Russia and the Republic of Belarus in international sports structures.

For information

The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (The Macolin Convention) was ratified by Ukraine on 16 November 2016 (Law of Ukraine ‘On Ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions’ of 16.11.2016 No. 1752-VIII).

In order to implement the Macolin Convention, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, in cooperation with non-governmental partners, has developed an online portal of the National Platform of Sports Integrity, which allows representatives of sports community and other citizens to report violations related to sports competitions.