promising Ukrainian lightweight athlete V. Androschuk was killed in the battles near Bakhmut

The 22-year-old athlete gave his life in the battles near Bachmut.

Adviser to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Anton Gerashchenko, reported this: “Volodymyr Androschuk, a Ukrainian athlete and a member of the national team, was killed in a battle near Bakhmut. Rest in peace, Volodymyr. We keep losing our best people.”

V.Androščiukas became the champion of youth under 20 in 2019.

Bakhmut is a Ukrainian city in the Donetsk region, in the east of the country. Russian forces have recently stepped up their attacks and are trying to take over the ruined city. Until the beginning of last month, only a tenth of the pre-war population of 80,000 remained in the city. Bakhmut residents.

Ukrainian figure skater Dmytro Šarpar, who competed in the 2016 Lillehammer Winter Youth Olympic Games, was killed earlier this week in fighting in Bachmut.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sparked outrage in Ukraine last week in its bid to bring athletes from Russia and Belarus back to international competition.

The IOC said it would continue to explore the possibility of athletes from both countries competing under strict neutrality conditions, which could open the door for them to participate in the 2024 Games. at the Paris Olympics.

Such a move caused a backlash in Ukraine and discussions about a possible boycott of the Paris Games.

Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee is holding an extraordinary General Assembly on Friday (February 3) to consider whether to boycott the 2024 Games. Paris Olympics, if Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to participate in the competition.

The IOC insists it is overwhelmingly supportive of its approach to the inclusion of Russia and Belarus in the sport, saying: “No athlete should be prevented from competing simply because of their passport.”

The IOC has pledged support so that Ukraine can send a strong team to Paris in 2024. and Milan-Cortina in 2026.