UAF took part in a workshop on preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games

08.08.2023 16:03

Photo of UAF press service

The Ukrainian Football Association took part in a meeting chaired by the President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, the Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, Vadym Gutzait, with the participation of leaders and representatives of all sports federations in preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

From the National Football Association, the first vice-president Vadym Kostyuchenko joined the event, who reported on the plans for the preparation of the national team of Ukraine, which, under the leadership of Ruslan Rotan, will play at football tournament of the Olympic Games-2024.

Vadym Gutzait thanked the national sports associations for their united and steadfast position regarding the impossibility of allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions and emphasized the attention of those present on the clear compliance with the provisions of the order of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, which refers to the norms of behavior of Ukrainian athletes on the condition of participation in competitions of athletes from aggressor countries:

"I want to thank the entire sports family for fruitful cooperation in the international arena in preventing Russians and Belarusians from competing at the European and world championships and, accordingly, the Olympic Games. Thanks to our joint work, the aggressor countries did not receive an invitation to the Olympics in Paris. Athletes from these countries will perform without flags and any symbols. I consulted with members of the executive committee, presidents of federations, leading athletes, and when the IOC decided not to invite Russia and Belarus to the Olympic Games, the order of the Ministry of Youth and Sports was changed to allow our athletes to participate in international competitions. But under certain conditions. I'm sure you've all seen Olga Harlan's act. This is one of the conditions of this order. Our athletes should not shake hands with athletes from Russia and Belarus. Olga Harlan's example is very eloquent about how we should treat athletes we don't respect. At the same time, it is important that our athletes comply with the norms of this order, do not be provoked by rivals, receive licenses and be represented at the Olympic Games."

"For the first time in the years of independence, we got to the football tournament of the Olympic Games. The team's preparation for this tournament will be carried out on the basis of two national teams - the Olympic and the national, for which the leaders of the "youth" that have completed Euro-2023 in Romania and Georgia among the four best teams on the continent. UAF received an invitation from the French Football Federation to take part in a friendly tournament with Olympic teams of other countries, which will be held at the end of May 2024 in Toulon. This is a great opportunity for our boys to prepare as best as possible for the highest-level competition," Vadim Kostyuchenko noted, adding that after the tournament, Ruslan Rotan's national team will still have a training camp before the start of the Olympics.