Kherson’s Teenage Boxers Pleaded From Ruined Gym to Keep Russia Out — World Boxing Let It In

Teenage boxers from the Ukrainian city of Kherson have made a desperate appeal from the ruins of their training hall, asking that Russia be kept out of the Olympic Games. The gym where they used to train was recently struck by Russian artillery, leaving the young athletes to practice and record their message among the debris.

In the video, the boxers speak directly to the international sporting community, urging officials not to allow Russian athletes back into Olympic competition. Their plea was born from the destruction they have personally experienced — the shelling that tore apart the very place where they pursued their sport.

Yet, according to the report, World Boxing, the international federation that oversees the sport, has decided to let Russia in. The decision stands in sharp contrast to the young boxers’ request. While the teenagers called for exclusion, the governing body appears to have taken the opposite path.

The situation highlights the difficult relationship between sports and politics, especially in times of war. For the young athletes in Kherson, the issue is not abstract. Their ruined gym is a daily reminder of the war’s cost. Their appeal, filmed among broken walls, has now been answered not with support but with disappointment, as World Boxing has chosen to admit Russia.