Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk criticized the decision of the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, which allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to return to international competitions, on Wednesday. Kostyuk, currently ranked 38th in the world, stated, "There is a special ranking system in our sport. If I do not participate, I will lose my ranking, and my career will end, which puts me in a predicament."
After her victory, Kostyuk ignored her opponent and refused to shake hands with the Russian player, a gesture that made international headlines. Kostyuk remarked, "A lot has been said, and I wanted to explain the matter myself. We did not do this publicly, but last year we were fighting to exclude athletes from Russia and Belarus from our sport."
Her fellow Ukrainian tennis player, Lesia Tsurenko, mentioned that every match against players from Russia or Belarus becomes a specific ordeal. Tsurenko added, "It is an ethical struggle every time we play against them. This issue has affected my mentality to the point where I experienced some sort of panic attacks."
