A group of Ukrainian runners are making moves to ban Russians and Belarusians from taking part in the New York City Marathon.
“It started all from the Boston Marathon. In April we did a similar petition,” said Anna Shpook, 39, a member of Ukrainian Running Club NY. “I think it just would be unfair to give someone access while Ukrainians no longer have that.”
A Boston man helped the group’s pitch gain momentum.
“He wrote the petition, we supported it. I think within a week or ten days it reached 1,600 and they reacted and they did prevent Russian and Belarusian runners from participating,” said Shpook, who lives in Windsor Terrace.
Shpook says she emailed organizers from New York Road Runners, who sponsor the marathon, asking for the ban but was told the group was only prepared to prevent runners from the two countries from officially taking part in an opening ceremony called the Parade of Nations with their flags.
“I feel like they [Russians] should stand in solidarity and go against the war,” Shpook said. “Go to the Russian consulate, stand there and ask for war to be stopped. We want them to wake up, go out on the streets and turn this regime over. The same thing with Belarus, their current regime is supporting, they opened the borders.”
As of June, 75% of Russians supported the war in Ukraine, according to a study published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“What images and stories does the NYRR need to hear to understand the level of atrocities being committed against Ukraine on a daily basis to take action? Is it the total devastation of Mariupol, where the bombing of a maternity hospital, theater (sheltering thousands of civilians, many children) bodies lying in Bucha for weeks, and hundreds of residential buildings were laid to rubble,” reads the change.org petition, posted on Sept. 29.
“I have my parents, I have my cousin, my close friends in Ukraine under occupation since March,” said runner Tetiana Samokysh, 34, whose loved ones are in the Kherson region.
“They are near the frontline. They cannot cross it safely, a humanitarian convoy was bombed and everybody was killed. They cannot talk freely, I do not know what’s happening for sure because often the connection gets lost and they sometimes don’t have internet for weeks,” she said.
“This is just heartbreaking as a Ukrainian to see people from those nations participating,” said Samokysh, who lives on the Upper West Side.
The New York Road Runners said they will not discriminate against any athletes base on their nationality or place of birth, but reiterated that Russian and Belarusian flags won’t be used in marathon events.
“NYRR has not, and will not, allow or recognize any official representation or country affiliation of Russia or Belarus at any NYRR races, events or programs including the TCS New York City Marathon Opening Ceremony and its Parade of Nations,” the New York Road Runners told the Daily News.
“Russian and Belarussian elite athletes have not been invited nor accepted to participate in any NYRR races. Additionally, NYRR has not worked with any Russian or Belarussian companies or partners. NYRR ensures that no Russian or Belarussian individuals subject to U.S. sanctions are registered for NYRR races,” the group continued.
That’s not enough for the Ukrainian runners.
“If [the petition] doesn’t work we are ready to give up our spots and not run out of solidarity,” Samokysh said.
