Ukraine’s second-highest-ranked player in the men’s doubles has confirmed he went against a recommendation by his national federation not to team up with a Russian player and has now voiced his opposition to any player ban related to the war in his country.
Oleg Prihodko is currently ranked 121st in the doubles and has contested three finals on the ATP Challenger Tour so far this season, winning a title in Argentina alongside Daniel Dutra da Silva. He is one of the few athletes from his country to publicly oppose Russian athletes getting suspended or banned from professional competition. Last year Russian and Belarussian players were banned from LTA events, including Wimbledon, and it is still unclear if they will be allowed to participate this year.
On February 24th 2022 Russia launched what they describe as a ‘special military operation’ on its neighbour which has resulted in the deaths of at least 8000 civilians, according to the United Nations. Following the early stages of the war, Prihodko decided to continue playing tournaments alongside Russia’s Yan Bondarevsky who is a friend of his despite being advised not to.
“I played a couple (of tournaments) with a Russian because he is my friend. And I played a couple with my friend – nationality does not matter to me. In my opinion, a person should be judged by his actions, and not by his nationality.” Prihodko told BTU.
“I have many friends from Russia and Belarus, also my girlfriend is from Russia. They all help me in every possible way and always speak out against the war. Therefore, I do not think that I did some kind of terrible act.’
“Were there recommendations from the FTU (Ukraine’s national tennis federation) not to play with the Russians? Yes, they did, but since I have my own views, I did as I saw fit, and I did not blindly follow the policy of the party.”
It isn’t just tennis where the debate over if a possible ban on Russian and Belarussian athletes should occur. There is an ongoing argument concerning their presence at the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris. Last month a group of 34 countries, which includes government representatives from Britain and France, signed a letter urging the IOC to implement a ban.
“In general, I believe that such condemnation of athletes only fuels the conflict more. Thus, athletes begin to arrange war on and off the court, turning into tools of war and forgetting the basic principle of sport.” Prihodko commented on the debate.
“Regarding the removal of athletes from Belarus and Russia from the Olympics, I, as an athlete, do not understand this. I understand that for all the guys this is a dream to which they have been going all their lives. I believe that sport should bring people together. In ancient times, when the Olympics were held, all wars were stopped, but now it is part of the war.” He added.
Prihodko, who was born in the Eastern Ukrainian city of Pavlograd, says he has been criticized for not displaying his own country’s flag on his Instagram profile. He said he didn’t feel the need to do so because ‘everybody knew where he is from.’
“I believe that a person should do more things in real life than in social networks,” he said. “I help people in Ukraine as much as I can, and I see more concrete actions in this.”
Prihodko’s views are different to that of some of his compatriots such as Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk who have both previously called for a ban to be implemented.
Under current rules, Russian and Belarussian players are allowed to play on the Tour but only as neutral athletes. They are currently suspended from all team events overseen by the ATP, WTA and ITF.
