Ukrainian Oliinykova on possible return of Russians and Belarusians to tennis under their flags: "It is same as walking onto tennis court with swastika". VIDEO
Ukrainian tennis player Oleksandra Oliinykova, after reaching the second round of the French Open (Roland Garros), made a sharp and uncompromising statement, strongly condemning any behind-the-scenes discussions about the possible return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international tournaments under their national flags.
According to Censor.NET, she emphasised that the tricolour of the aggressor country, in the current context, is solely a symbol of mass war crimes.
"This flag is a symbol of terror. This flag is what Russian soldiers raise after they completely destroy a city. Cities they enter with only one purpose: to destroy, kill, rape and steal. These symbols are horrific. This is absolutely unacceptable. And for Ukrainians, it is also extremely traumatic. We must understand what this means right now, in the current context. Using something like this is the same as walking onto the tennis court with a swastika," Oliinykova said.
The tennis player drew a direct historical parallel, noting that the civilized world has no right to turn a blind eye to obvious things and tolerate propaganda in which athletes from Russia are directly involved.
