Former National Hockey League (NHL) goaltender Dominik Hasek released a letter on Wednesday calling for the ban of Russian athletes from professional competitions because of the war in Ukraine.
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His message was for the owners, managers, and members of the NHL, WTA, ATP, and “other professional sports leagues, associations, and organizations around the world.” Hasek first addressed the thousands of innocent deaths in Ukraine before criticizing the organizations for their inaction.
“To this day I have neither read nor heard from you an unequivocal condemnation of the Russian aggression, including the crimes committed,” he wrote. By tolerating the participation of Russian athletes, each competition you organize gives billions of dollars to Russia to publicize its aggressive policies.
“The fact that you have done nothing after around 300 days of war and continue to tolerate the participation of Russian athletes in your competitions (and give Russia several billions in publicity for the implementation of its aggressive policies) seems inexcusable to me. They are therefore fully responsible for the irreversible damage caused by the Russian army in Ukraine, including wasted lives,” added the Czech.
According to Hasek, Russian athletes must be held accountable for Vladimir Putin’s decisions. He believes this is a necessary consequence to end the Ukraine war.
“I want to emphasize that every Russian athlete has the right to have an opinion on the war in Ukraine and we must always respect that. Of course, that doesn’t mean we have to agree. However, unless we want to support Russia’s war in Ukraine and all the horrors that accompany it, we cannot allow Russian athletes to compete with us at this time. I don’t see their non-participation as a sanction against them, but to encourage the end of this war and thus save tens of thousands of lives, including their Russian comrades who were recruited to fight,” he explains.
The 57-year-old pensioner reminded that the war in Ukraine is the most important conflict in Europe since World War II and that there is a need for action.
“If the saying goes that ‘even the best game in the world is worth no more than a human life’, then I have no doubt that you will make the right decision and contribute to a faster end to the conflict. and in return, you will save thousands of lives,” he concluded.