World Athletics is not letting up in its efforts to support Ukraine. The body chaired by Sebastian Coe announced in a press release that it had renewed its solidarity fund for Ukrainian athletics, in collaboration with the International Athletics Foundation (IAF) and the members of the Diamond League Association. Created last year, the fund currently has $190,000 at its disposal. Its aim is to enable elite athletes to continue training, qualify and compete in the major competitions of 2023, including the World Outdoor Championships in Budapest. The money will be used to pay for the travel and accommodation costs of Ukrainian athletes at the training camps, to cover their travel and accommodation at the World Championships in Budapest (19-27 August) and then at the Road World Championships in Riga (30 September-1 October). It is also planned to finance the purchase of equipment, notably for pole vaulting, which was destroyed during the missile attacks. According to World Athletics, about 100 members of the Ukrainian athletic community are expected to need financial assistance this year. As a reminder, World Athletics is one of the few international federations – along with the BWF (badminton) and FEI (equestrian) – that have decided not to follow the IOC’s recommendation to reinstate Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions.
