Because even though Serhij Bubka was inducted into the “Hall of Fame” before the Diamond League vote in Brussels earlier in September, he is not a popular man among many Ukrainians. – It is very strange, because I am very proud of Bubka as an athlete, because he set many world records. But I don’t like him as a person, because at the start of the war he didn’t take a stand. For all of us athletes: Bubka does not exist for us now, says Jaroslava Mahutsjikh to news. The world champion from the height competition this summer in Budapest is crystal clear. IN PLACE: Serhij Bubka was present during the Diamond League vote in Brussels on 8 September. The day before he was honored. Photo: IMAGO She aims, among other things, at the fact that Bubka has not sufficiently distanced herself from Russia’s actions in Ukraine for a long time. The former pole vault world record holder is from occupied Donetsk. After the outbreak of war, he has kept a low profile. Threatened with lawsuits This summer, the website Bihus.info wrote that Bubka via the company “Mont Blanc” should have sold petroleum services to Russian actors in the Donbas area. The information has led to an investigation in Ukraine. – It seems terrible, because he was president of the Olympic Committee (in Ukraine) for a long time. But he has made his choices, says Mahutsjikh about the matter. Bubka initially threatened with a lawsuit. Nettstaden had heard nothing more at the end of August. Now the 59-year-old claims to be the subject of a smear campaign. At the beginning of September, he spoke about the war after a long period of silence. There he denied having anything to do with the business. He said that he had not been in the occupied territories since 2014 and claimed to have done everything in his power to defend his homeland against Russian aggression. “I was born on Ukrainian soil and I have always represented Ukraine with a great degree of pride all over the world,” said Bubka via his newly created YouTube channel. TAKE BACK: Serhij Bubka defends himself in a 1.25 minute long video on YouTube. Photo: YouTube/Serhij Bubka “Bubka does nothing” Already during the World Championships in athletics in Eugene in 2022, critical glances were directed at the former hero from the Ukrainian team. The then Ukrainian athletics president, Jevhen Pronin, said that Bubka did not have time to meet the athletes. During an interview with news this winter, he threw up his arms and proclaimed “He does nothing. Serhij Bubka does nothing”. FORMER PRESIDENT: Jevhen Pronin is a lawyer and worked as a drone pilot during the war. Photo: Gregorio Borgia / AP This, even though he held several central positions at the outbreak of war. Now he is out of two of them. In August, Bubka left the post as senior vice-president of World Athletics after 22 years on the board. He did not run for re-election. In November 2022, 17 years as president of the Olympic Committee of Ukraine ended. Bubka did not run for re-election. As an IOC member, he is still part of the board. Recently, a member of the Executive Committee in Ukraine, Vladyslav Heraskevych, proposed to suspend Bubka from the board. He said that no one supported the proposal. Some of the veterans instead began to defend the former pole vaulter. They received strong criticism when the meeting was played via the portal Tribuna. Heraskevych is frustrated by the lack of action in Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee. Bubka is still an IOC member and part of the board of the International Olympic Committee. news has asked the IOC for a comment from Bubka, but has so far not received a reply. Hometown bomba during the WC Mahutsjikh, for her part, has decided to actively use the voice she has as a profiled athlete to talk about the war. She now lives in Brussels, Belgium, but the war is experienced daily. While the high jumper was fighting to qualify for the World Cup finals in Budapest, her hometown in Ukraine was bombed by the Russians. – The bus station, right next to the train station, was bombed on the same day that my parents were to travel by train to Budapest, she says. FLY HIGH: Mahutsjikh tries to stay focused on the sport. Photo: AFP While the war rages on, Mahutsjikh has decided to continue competing. – It is difficult to stay focused, but after a year of war I have become stronger and better equipped. I know that I should continue to compete. Because here I can talk about the fact that the war is not over and show that I am from Ukraine.
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– Bubka does not exist for us – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
