The AFUO’s #NoBloodInOurPool campaign continues to make headlines — yesterday in Daily Telegraph.
We are grateful to Australian water polo legend and 3x Olympian Andrei ‘Kova’ Kovalenko for lending his voice to our campaign. Kova represented both Ukraine and Australia throughout his distinguished career, and currently trains the next generation of Australian water polo players at his Magura Water Polo Academy – and he knows exactly what is at stake.
“The [russian team] will come wearing the same colours which are on the sleeves of russian soldiers killing Ukrainians — I don’t know how people can justify that.”
Neither do we, Kova.
Russia continues to wage a genocidal war against Ukraine — committing crimes against humanity, war crimes and systematic violations of international humanitarian law every day. The suffering is immense: Ukrainian civilians targeted daily, Ukrainians in occupied territories subjected to brutal repression, Ukrainian POWs and unlawfully detained civilians abused, and more than 35,000 Ukrainian children abducted.
And yet this is the regime Australia is being asked to welcome onto its soil in July – because when you welcome a national team under its flag and colours, you are welcoming the regime they represent.
Australia must say no. Write to Water Polo Australia and our Government leaders now: https://standwithukraine.good.do/waterpolo/
Link to the full story in our Newsroom: Nyet-to-russian-water-polo-side.pdf
#NoBloodInOurPool #StandWithUkraine #AFUO #SportswashingKills #WaterPoloAustralia #WorldAquatics #WorldAquaticsWorldCupFinals
