Ukraine asks Canada to ban Russian athletes

TSN Senior Correspondent

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Ukraine’s official diplomatic representative in Canada has asked the Canadian government to stop issuing travel visas and work permits to Russian athletes, a move he says will put more pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin to abandon his invasion of Ukraine.

“We ask your government to suspend cooperation with Russians in sports, to stop granting visas and work permits to Russian athletes," Andrii Bukvych, Chargé d’Affaires of the Ukrainian embassy in Ottawa, wrote in a letter sent Wednesday to Pascale St-Onge, Canada’s Minister of Sport. "[Taking] into consideration the gravity of [the] situation, I urge you, dear minister, to consider this request in the shortest possible terms.”

A spokeswoman for St-Onge confirmed the Canadian government received Bukvych's letter and is preparing a public response.

Bukvych said in an interview with TSN that governments around the world must “send clear messages” to both Putin’s government and to the Ukrainian people through sanctions and more symbolic measures, including banning Russian athletes.

Bukvych said he has been in contact with Ukraine's embassies in Washington and London to discuss making similar requests of the U.S. and U.K. governments. “The message needs to be very strong,” Bukvych said. “Russia is toxic, and we must make it clear that we will not have anything to do with all things Russian, whether it’s cultural or sports, or anything. It’s not enough right now not to support Putin. There must be concrete actions. The world must isolate Russia in every possible way. This is not a time to be neutral and politically correct.

“It’s not a secret that Russia has weaponized sports. It has hosted sporting events like the World