At 2 p.m. on Tuesday, some 1,700 kilometers east of Paris, where Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk is preparing to beat her Greek opponent, Volodymyr Zelensky spots war-wounded in a military hospital in the west of the country. Here are these heroes, decorated with the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, amidst rehabilitation equipment. President Zelensky, 46, then took his place in the gymnasium of a local school, where he answered questions from L'Équipe and three other French media. Between the green walls pinned up with posters from the local volleyball club, the president of the country invaded by Russia for almost 900 days talked about the Olympic Games and his relationship, both political and personal, with sport.
Why didn't you attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games?
Emmanuel Macron invited me. I would have gladly accepted his invitation, but our country is going through a difficult period. Even in times of war, I travel abroad for meetings, but right now the situation is tense in eastern Ukraine. The Russians are striking at our territory. They don't care that the Olympics are taking place right now. They're hitting our energy infrastructure, which has been under great strain for several months, even though it's stabilizing.
As President of Ukraine, I cannot afford to attend, with all due respect, the opening ceremony of an event as important as the Olympic Games. This event is undoubtedly political, but for me it is above all a great celebration, for all the athletes and for France. For our country, it's not a celebration. For our team, taking part in the Olympic Games in wartime is a victory. But this is no time for celebration.
So you won't be there at either the Closing Ceremony or the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games?
It's unlikely I'll be able to attend.
Are you satisfied with the conditions set by the IOC that led to the participation of 15 Russian and 17 Belarusian athletes as ''neutral individual athletes''?
I thank all those who opposed the official participation (of Russia and Belarus) in the Olympics, but these are half-sanctions, as Russian and Belarusian athletes are taking part under a neutral banner. Admittedly, there are far fewer of them, but no one is fooled. And what's the difference between North Korea (which is taking part in the Olympics) and Belarus? Belarus has been sanctioned. Not North Korea, which threatens the whole world with nuclear weapons, sells missiles and millions of artillery shells to Russia and uses them to kill Ukrainians.
I make no claim to objectivity. If we want to fight tyranny and authoritarianism, then we have to take very concrete action. If we decide to impose sanctions, then let's impose them. Some thirty Russian and Belarusian athletes are taking part in the Games, even though they killed 488 Ukrainian athletes and trainers during the war. Beautiful facilities have been built in Paris. Athletes under neutral banners also compete in these sports complexes. If they win, they'll be presented with medals and applauded. Let's add bloodstains to this neutral banner. Then they'll be able to compete - that's what they deserve. 520 sports complexes in Ukraine were destroyed by missile strikes.
What would you recommend to Ukrainian athletes: to continue competing abroad and show the world what Ukraine is capable of, or to return to fight?
To continue, of course! It's their fight. It's so important to us. They represent our country. Our military supports them and they support our military (by taking part in the Games). Defending Ukraine can be done in many different ways. All the military and all Ukrainians are very proud of our athletes. We want more medals, more opportunities to boost Ukrainian morale, more moments to be proud of. That's why they have to win their battle.
Can they do so, despite their training conditions and the added pressure?
Of course it's difficult. Their selection is already a victory. I'm proud that we have a Ukrainian team. They have been training in difficult conditions, some in Ukraine, others abroad. This is war. There can be no normality. It's an ordeal for them. (Fencer) Olga Kharlan has already won a bronze medal. We believe in them.
You're sometimes compared to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who abhorred sport. What is your relationship with sport? Were you involved before the invasion? And today?
Of course I do. Today, I did some sport on the train. Squats, abs, classic exercises, you can do them wherever you are. Thirty seconds, in the train corridor, anywhere. Sport is a great feat, and great athletes devote their lives to it. For me, it's just a matter of stretching a bit. The brain needs physical activity to rest. Whenever I can, late at night or very early in the morning, I try to find thirty to forty minutes.
Is there an athlete you particularly admire?
There are many. I'll name one: Jan Beleniouk, a very good wrestler who takes part in the Olympic Games (he's also a member of parliament for the presidential party). There's also (tennis player) Elina Svitolina, who's very strong. Oleksandr Usyk (world heavyweight champion boxer) is cool. He's strong."
(L'Équipe)
