Ukraine Blasts Russia’s 2030 Weightlifting Worlds Award
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday branded the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) decision “unacceptable.” Writing on US social media platform X, he said the move, the first of its kind since the Russia-Ukraine war began, risked normalizing the return of major global sporting events to Russian soil.
“Russia continues to kill Ukrainians, including athletes. It is immoral to grant Moscow the privilege of hosting a major international sporting event while its aggression continues,” he said.
Sybiha called on the IWF, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the wider sporting community to join forces and overturn the award. He warned that “the moment international sport starts rewarding aggressors, it loses the moral authority to speak about fairness, respect and integrity.”
“We must not allow the Kremlin to use international sport to claim recognition, legitimacy or a return to business as usual without ending its aggression or facing accountability,” he said.
The ruling is the latest signal of Russia’s gradual reintegration into global sport after years of wartime restrictions. In July, the IOC provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, a step that could clear the way for Russian athletes at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Moscow last staged the championships in 1983.
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