Biathlon athlete and two Ukrainian footballers die in combat with Russia

The International Biathlon Union confirmed on Wednesday (2) the death of Ukrainian biathlete Yevhen Malyshev, 19, who was serving in his country’s army on the combat front against Russian troops.

The sportsman was part of the junior team of the Ukrainian national biathlon team and was fighting in the Kharkiv region.

“The Executive Committee of the International Biathlon Union expresses its deepest condolences for the loss of Ukrainian biathlon athlete Yevhen Malyshev, who died this week serving in Ukraine’s army. The committee once again condemns Russia’s attacks on Ukraine and supports given by Belarus and reiterates its hope for an immediate end to the war,” the organization said in a statement.

The International Biathlon Union also announced that it has banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international competitions organized by the body.

On Tuesday (1st), Fifpro, the world union of professional footballers, reported the death of Ukrainian football players Vitalii Sapylo, 21, and Dmytro Martynek, 25, during the conflict. They defended, respectively, Karpaty Lviv and FC Gostomel.

“May you both rest in peace,” the organization wrote.

On Monday (28), the IOC (International Olympic Committee) published a statement in which it asks the organizers of international competitions not to invite Russian or Belarusian athletes to participate in the tournaments.

The entity’s Executive Committee also reinforced the request that eventual competitions that have participants from both countries do not reproduce the national anthem or display the flags of both, in addition to not allowing them to compete in the modalities under the names “Russia” and “Belarus “.

FIFA has suspended the Russian Federation from tournaments organized by it. Thus, Russia will not be able to play in the playoffs for the World Cup in Qatar.