The Verkhovna Rada did not support the initiative to strip Bubka and Klochkova of state awards and honorary titles
The Verkhovna Rada did not support the proposal to send a request to the President regarding the deprivation of state awards and honorary titles of athletes Sergey Bubka and Yana Klochkova. During the voting, the corresponding initiative was supported by only 112 people’s deputies, which was not enough to make a decision.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree terminating state scholarships for Serhiy Bubka, Yana Klochkova, and several other champions and medalists of the Olympic, Paralympic, and Deaflympic Games.
Serhiy Bubka is an Olympic pole vault champion. He won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. After completing his sports career, he headed the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, and is currently a member of the International Olympic Committee.
Recently, his name was in the spotlight again after the statement of Ukrainian skeletonist Vladyslav Geraskevych, who was disqualified from the 2026 Olympic Games because of a helmet with images of deceased Ukrainian athletes. During a speech in the Verkhovna Rada, Geraskevych stated that he was “ashamed” that Ukraine’s representative in the IOC holds the title of Hero of Ukraine.
“A person is systematically destroying Ukraine, he allows Russian flags in the organizations he heads. A person is really playing along with Russia, and when he has the title of Hero of Ukraine, which is now most often awarded posthumously, it is unacceptable. We must fight this, so I also call for help to ensure that Mr. Bubka is deprived of this award by imposing sanctions on him,” the athlete said.
In 2023, Bihus.Info journalists reported that Bubka is a co-owner of three companies registered in Russia. In the same year, his brother was suspected of collaborating with occupation structures.
Yana Klochkova is a Ukrainian swimmer, multiple Olympic champion and medalist, who was called the “goldfish”. According to media reports, in 2022 she left for Simferopol, where she is from. After that, the athlete closed her Instagram profile and is almost not active on social networks.
