Ukrainian tennis star Marta Kostyuk has hit out at the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to allow Russian athletes to compete at the upcoming Olympics, labelling the move “terrible”.
The IOC has provisionally lifted its suspension of Russian athletes, offering them a route to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Following her victory over Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, Kostyuk, 24, called for the ruling to be changed and for the IOC to reverse its decision.
She said: “My thoughts are that it’s terrible. I think it’s very, very far from fair play for all the countries involved here, not just for Ukraine.
“I 100 per cent don’t agree with this decision. I don’t think anything is going to change.
“I just want to go out there and hopefully beat every single Russian I play in the Olympics, and that’s it.”
Missiles have struck near Kostyuk’s family home, with Russia stepping up its attack on Kyiv, her home city.
During her run at Wimbledon, she shared that she has been thinking about friends and family at home.
Marta Kostyuk has labelled the lifting of Russian athletes to compete at the Olympics as ‘terrible’
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“It’s not easy to disconnect entirely,” the Ukrainian said.
“It was really tough for me last week when the first big attack happened. Then, on Monday, they ruined like four streets of residential buildings. It was like five kilometres away from where my parents live.
“Again, another difficult night and a lot of dead people, innocent people, kids. It’s not easy.
“I tried to be aware of everything that’s going on. Of course, I try [not to let] these things influence me too much. Every day is different. I cope with it as it goes.”
Kostyuk said: ‘I 100 per cent don’t agree with this decision’
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Kostyuk thinks that her run at SW19 will inspire the Ukrainian population, adding that she “hopes it would mean a lot”.
The tennis star said: “I’m so happy I’m able to do this while my grandpa is still alive.
“He’s 89 years old. He’s texting me after every single match, telling me what I should do better. I mean, these past few matches he didn’t.
“He was just super proud, telling me how good I’m playing. That’s a win.”
Kostyuk thinks that her run at SW19 will inspire the Ukrainian population
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PA
With a beaming smile, Kostyuk said: “I didn’t get a lot of messages from him like this in my life.
“I’m very happy that they get to witness this. I think they sacrificed so much of time and energy and themselves for my tennis, for my career.
“They still do. They’re back home now. I feel like they deserve it as much as I do.”
