His eyes welling with tears and voice choking with emotion, Ukrainian pole vault great Sergei Bubka appealed Wednesday to both sides in his homeland’s political crisis to halt the violence that has claimed dozens of lives and brought the country “to the brink of catastrophe.” Bubka, who heads Ukraine’s national Olympic committee, issued his call after clashes between riot police and antigovernment protesters in Kiev on Tuesday left at least 25 dead and hundreds injured in the worst violence in its post-Soviet history. Late Wednesday, government and opposition forces announced they had agreed to a truce to halt the fighting. Bubka said he was “shocked” by the bloodshed and offered to do “everything I can” to help bring calm and political dialogue. “I pray and I appeal to both parties: Stop violence, try to find the peace, keep us together to live in peace,” he said. The former Olympic pole vault champion, who still holds the outdoor world record in the event, is one of Ukraine’s greatest sportsmen and famous personalities. He is in Sochi as an executive board member of the International Olympic Committee and Ukraine’s top Olympic official, overseeing a team of 43 athletes. “All of us, we have families at home,” Bubka said. “This last night was very tough because we follow what happened. … Everyone is really worried. Everyone is really under pressure. But they would like to continue to compete to send a message home to bring dialogue to all parties.” Bubka said Ukrainian athletes wanted to wear black armbands to honor those killed, but the request was turned down by the IOC, citing the Olympic Charter. The IOC previously warned Norwegian athletes about wearing black arm bands in tribute to an athlete’s brother who died before the Games. more
