Tennis star Elina Svitolina participates in Run For Ukraine campaign to stand in solidarity with home country amidst Russia war

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has been very vocal about her country’s sufferings during the on-going Russia-Ukraine conflict. The athlete has also boldly voiced her stance against all players hailing from the countries of Russia and Belarus.

In a recent effort to stand in solidarity with her home country, Elina Svitolina participated in a run as part of the 'Run For Ukraine' campaign in her hometown of Odessa.

She shared the news with her followers on social media, posing with others also doing the run and holding a Ukraine flag.

Elina Svitolona on Instagram

Earlier, Elina Svitolina, who was a bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, publicly declared her objection towards Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to compete in the upcoming 2024 Olympics to be held in Paris.

In the post, the 28-year-old stated that the International Olympic Committee must send a strong message by banning participants from the aforementioned countries from the global sporting event which stands for inclusion and diversity in sports.

"The Olympics are the biggest dream and ultimate privilege for athletes. They are the largest platform for inclusion and diversity in sports, capturing the attention of the world. With this in mind we must stick to banning Russian and Belarusian athletes, sending a strong message worldwide, that we are united in the sanctions imposed against Russia and Belarus," Elina Svitolina wrote on social media.

The Ukrainian further went on to state that the athletes shouldn’t be allowed to go on with their lives and careers, and should be held accountable for their government’s brutality against her home country.

"There are consequences for the heinous acts of their governments; their lives cannot continue as normal and the world, nor the Russian or Belarusian people can be ignorant of the atrocities they are committing in Ukraine," she said.

---

"The war is still there; The decision should not be any different" – Elina Svitolina hopeful about Wimbledon repeating its 2022 ban

The Ukrainian player is currently on hiatus due to birth of daughter with tennis star Gayle Monfils

Elina Svitolina stands firm with her opinion about the Russian and Belarusian athletes facing the consequences of their government’s deeds against Ukraine.

The former World No. 3 stated that letting players from the aggressor countries participate with a neutral flag was ineffective and did not serve any purpose. She also remarked that although she had no bitterness towards any particular players from the two countries, disallowing them from competing at any event was the only way to stop war.

"I don't think the neutral flag is changing anything. Russian sport is a big part of their politics," Svitolina said, as per the BBC.

"I have nothing against particular athletes. But how else can we stop this war?” she said, adding “Their governments are doing these severe things in Ukraine. The sanctions will stop these governments doing what they are doing."

Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam to ban tennis players in 2022. Svitolina expressed that she was hopeful that the tournament would stand by its decision in 2023 as well, due to unchanged circumstances.

“I hope they will do the same thing and keep the ban in place. I don’t think it should change. There are still people suffering and still Russian soldiers killing innocent Ukrainians. The war is still there. The decision should not be any different,” the 2019 Wimbledon semifinalista remarked.