Sebastian Coe visited Ukraine and held talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky. WORLD ATHLETICS

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe travelled to Ukraine this weekend to meet with the head of the Ukrainian government, Volodymyr Zelenski, to whom he confirmed "unwavering" financial support for local athletes ahead of Paris 2024, which runs from 26 July to 11 August.

Zelenski met Coe in Kiev over the weekend, coinciding with the national athletics championships in Lviv. "I was deeply moved by the resilience and determination of the athletes. As we arrived at the stadium, an anti-aircraft siren delayed the start of the 200 metres. This is the harsh and sobering reality of the challenges they face on a daily basis," said the World Athletics President.

In the meeting between the two leaders, Zelenski thanked Coe for the support given to Ukrainian athletes and their families since the start of the armed conflict. World Athletics insisted that it would continue its "unwavering support" for the Ukrainian people and athletes "in their defence against Russian aggression".

Speaking to international media on his return, Coe said he had fulfilled a promise to Ukrainian athletes that he would visit them in their beleaguered homeland. "I wanted them to know that I was with them. It wasn't about politics or passports. It was about a commitment to go and see them and let them know we were thinking of them."



Fewer than 30 Ukrainian track and field athletes will go to the Paris Games, which start on 26 July, from a team that would have numbered around 70 three or four years ago, Coe said, stressing the "huge impact" the war has had on Ukrainian sport. "I understand much better than I did before the circumstances they face every minute of every day and for that I will always be grateful," Coe said.

The World Athletics President, together with the International Athletics Foundation (IAF) and members of the Diamond League Association, pledged continued financial support for Ukrainian athletes through the Ukraine Fund.

The fund provides support to professional athletes affected by the conflict in their home country to ensure they can continue to train, qualify and compete in World Athletics Series events and World Athletics Championships. This is the second year that the IAAF has funded Ukrainian athletes to continue training and competing. The Italian, Turkish and Portuguese federations have provided training camps on their territory.




The president of the Ukrainian government also praised World Athletics' decision in early March 2022 to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from all international athletics competitions. The International Olympic Committee has opened the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in Paris as neutrals, without flags, emblems or anthems, but World Athletics has stood firm on its blanket ban.

"Thank you for your firm actions and decisions. Russia must feel that its terrorist war will result in its athletes being treated accordingly. And that the price of this war is very high," stressed Zelenski, who was invited by Coe to attend the athletics events at the Paris Games.

After seeing more than 500 sports facilities damaged or destroyed, Coe pledged to work with the Ukrainian government to "put pressure on international organisations and national governments to help fund the reconstruction and development of these facilities".




They also discussed exploring other initiatives, including the creation of a programme focused on supporting athletes between the ages of 18 and 22 and their coaches so that they can continue to compete in athletics at an international level.

"The most draining period in our sport is between the ages of 18 and 20" in any country, Coe said, even without taking into account the "complexities" of life in Ukraine. He said he had spoken to an athlete "who doesn't have a coach at the moment because he's on the front line, or female athletes who are worried about their brothers or husbands".

Coe said he hoped circumstances would eventually allow the Russians to return to international athletics, but added: "Nothing I have seen tells me that the decision we have taken is anything other than the right decision ... on behalf of our sport.

"I don't make value judgements about other sports....As a democrat, I have to accept that some federations will make decisions that they will support and that they also believe are in the best interests of their sport and are different from ours."