Zelensky speaks with new IOC President Kirsty Coventry

Zelensky said this in a post on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

“I spoke with the President of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry. I congratulated her on her election to the office, wished her success, and thanked for the IOC’s support for Ukraine and for our athletes,” the President wrote.

He stressed that since the start of the full-scale war, more than 600 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed by Russian attacks, and hundreds of sports facilities have been destroyed.

“Every sporting event that Russia manages to reach, it always tries to twist for the benefit of its state propaganda – propaganda of hatred and war. That is why it is crucial to maintain distance between the sports movement and this Russian evil. We discussed, in particular, preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Not only Ukraine, but many other countries defending life equally count on the IOC to maintain the principled stance it upheld during the Paris Games toward aggressive Russia and its accomplice, Belarus,” Zelensky wrote.

He noted that Ukraine is ready to share all necessary information. Zelensky also invited Kirsty Coventry to visit Ukraine.

As reported, former Zimbabwean swimmer and Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry has become the first female president in the history of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Photo credit: President’s Office