Ukrainian Serhiy Bubka, the 1988 Olympic pole vault champion, was not included in the new board of the International Association of Athletics Federations (World Athletics), according to the organization’s website.
On Thursday, August 17, at the congress of the organization in Budapest, Briton Sebastian Coe was re-elected president of World Athletics. A new board was also chosen. Bubka, who worked on the board of the organization for 22 years, was not included in the list of candidates, writes RBC.
Bubka was initially criticized for not condemning Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, Insidethegames notes. In July 2023, a member of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine Vladislav Geraskevich demanded to deprive the legendary pole vaulter of membership in the committee and state awards. The reason was the investigation of the publication Bihus.Info and journalist Maria Zemlyanskaya that Bubka’s family company “Mont Blanc” was registered in the Russian register of legal entities and is doing business on the territory of the DPR. However, Geraskevich’s initiative was rejected.
Bubka was the first in the world to jump from a pole above 6 meters, set world records 35 times, won world championships six times. From 2005 to 2022, Bubka headed the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, in 2001 he received the title of Hero of Ukraine.
Ukrainian Natalia Dobrynska has joined the new World Athletics Council.
Source: Rosbalt
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