The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, has been received in Kiev by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj. Selenskyj said the Russian war of aggression against his country was a “brutal blow” to Ukrainian sport.

Bach also met a delegation of Ukrainian athletes and assured them of the IOC’s solidarity: “We didn’t just want to tell them, we wanted to show them, we wanted them to experience that they are never alone in the Olympic community. We are with you every day with our hearts and our thoughts. “

VIDEO NEWS RELEASE: IOC President Thomas Bach visited Ukraine to meet with athletes and President Volodymyr @ZelenskyyUa, discussing further sports aid and support to the country and its athletes from the IOC.

Access the footage here: https://t.co/Tf0r2MSNdh pic.twitter.com/8zIu9cFZDK

– IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) July 4, 2022

Selenskyj , said more than 100 000 Ukrainian athletes would have no opportunity to train and hundreds of sports facilities would be destroyed.

Bach visited the Avanhard Basketball Hall in Kiev to see the destruction for himself.

The IOC said it had tripled its support fund for Ukraine to the equivalent of around 7.2 million euros.