Friday, House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) applauded the recent decision by Birmingham organizers to ban Russian athletes and officials from World Games 2022 events.
The World Games 2022 Organizing Committee on Monday announced that it had barred Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the upcoming July competitions due to the nations’ unprovoked aggression toward Ukraine.
According to World Games organizers, more than 60 Russian athletes have been banned as a result of the decision.
Ledbetter called the ban a “commonsense and just reaction” given Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unwarranted invasion of the Eastern European nation.
“Forty years ago, President Ronald Reagan declared the Soviet Union an ‘evil empire’ and said its opposition to freedom and democracy would be relegated to the ‘ash heap of history,'” noted Ledbetter. “Those words spoken decades ago at the height of the Cold War remain true today when describing Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked attacks and unchecked aggression against a peaceful neighbor. The World Games that will soon take place in Birmingham are intended to foster peace, understanding, and cooperation among nations, so banning athletes from a county whose current actions run counter to all of these ideals is a commonsense and just reaction.”
Additionally, Ledbetter spoke to the House Republican Caucus’ support for the Ukrainians as they defend their nation’s sovereignty against the Russian offensive.
“I join the men and women of the Alabama House Republican Caucus in standing with the people of Ukraine in their hour of need, and sending them our intercessory prayers of strength and protection,” added Ledbetter. “Putin has proven to be the kind of tyrannical madman that the world has known only a few times in its history, and Alabama House Republicans feel strongly that his actions must not be allowed to stand. Ukraine must remain a sovereign nation free from threat and occupation.”
The World Games 2022 will take place in Alabama’s Magic City July 7-17.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.