Olympic leader Bach criticizes Ukraine for blocking athletes from some Paris Games qualifiers

By GRAHAM DUNBAR
AP Sports Writer

GENEVA (AP) — IOC president Thomas Bach has criticized the Ukrainian government for blocking some athletes from qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Olympics that also include Russians and Belarusians. Ukrainian athletes have in recent weeks missed world or European championship events in judo, fencing and taekwondo. Russians and Belarusians could compete there after being approved as neutrals. Bach tells IOC members “it’s hard to understand why the Ukrainian government is depriving their own athletes from their chance to qualify” for Paris. He adds Ukrainian athletes were “being sanctioned by their own government.”