Olympic champion calls on Bach to lift sanctions against Russian athletes

Olympic champion high jumper Maria Lasitskene on Thursday called on the head of the International Olympic Committee to lift the sanctions imposed against Russian athletes over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The IOC issued guidance to sports governing bodies in February to remove Russians and Belarusians from competition after Russia sent troops into Ukraine. Most international federations followed the recommendation.

Lasitskene, who is also a three-time world champion, said in an impassioned open letter that her Russian passport was being used as a "trump card" by World Athletics, the sport's governing body, at the behest of IOC President Thomas Bach.

She lashed out at Bach for saying last month that the rights of those who do not support Russia's war in Ukraine should be respected and that "there should be no sanction for holding a passport."

"My main colleagues in the high jump sector are Ukrainian girls. And I still don't know what to say them or how to look into their eyes," she wrote.

"They and their friends and relatives are experiencing what no human being should ever have to feel. I am sure that nothing of this never should have happened."

She added that Bach was not interested in Russian athletes' thoughts about the conflict.

Bach last month described the sidelining of Russian and Belarusian athletes as "protective measures", saying their safety at competitions could not be guaranteed in light of "the deep anti-Russian and anti-Belarusian feelings in so many countries following the invasion."

Lasitskene - who herself was sidelined from international competition for years over the suspension of Russia's athletics federation - said Bach's concerns about athlete safety were not genuine, citing tennis players still being