Daily Times

LETYCHIV: Family and friends of Ukrainian decathlete Volodymyr Androshchuk bid farewell on Wednesday to the promising sportsman turned soldier killed in combat with Russia, weeping as they lined up at his open coffin. At his funeral in the western Ukrainian town of Letychiv, friends of the 22-year-old, who volunteered for the military and was hit by shrapnel in Bakhmut last week, were vehement that Russians should be excluded from the Olympics. They were bitter that Androshchuk lost the chance to compete on the world’s most prestigious sports stage. Fellow decathlete Dmytro Korbenko, who described himself as Androshchuk’s best friend, said of Russian athletes: “It’s obvious they’re not supposed to be in sports, nor at the 2024 Olympic Games.” Ukrainian officials are furious at the International Olympic Committee for opening to the door to athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus returning to international competition as neutrals for the 2024 Paris Games. In response, Ukraine has threatened to boycott the 2024 Olympics if the year-long war is still raging and if Russians are allowed to compete. Latvia said it would do the same.