FILE PHOTO: Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Athletics - Women's High Jump - Medal Ceremony - Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - August 7, 2021. Gold medallist Maria Lasitskene of the Russian Olympic Committee celebrates on the podium REUTERS/Andrew Boyers
(Reuters) - Olympic champion high jumper Maria Lasitskene on Thursday called on the head of the International Olympic Committee to lift the sanctions imposed against Russian athletes over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The IOC issued guidance to sports governing bodies in February to remove Russians and Belarusians from competition after Russia sent troops into Ukraine. Most international federations followed the recommendation.
Lasitskene, who is also a three-time world champion, said in an impassioned open letter that her Russian passport was being used as a "trump card" by World Athletics, the sport's governing body, at the behest of IOC President Thomas Bach.
She lashed out at Bach for saying last month that the rights of those who do not support Russia's war in Ukraine should be respected and that "there should be no sanction for holding a passport."
"My main colleagues in the high jump sector are Ukrainian girls. And I still don't know what to say them or how to look into their eyes," she wrote.
"They and their friends and relatives are experiencing what no human being should ever have to feel. I am sure that nothing of this never should have happened."
She added that Bach was not interested in Russian athletes' thoughts about the conflict.
Bach last month described the sidelining of Russian and Belarusian athletes as "protective measures", saying their safety at competitions could not be guaranteed in light of "the deep anti-Russian and anti-Belarusian feelings in so many countries following the invasion."
Lasitskene -- who herself was sidelined from international competition for years over the suspension of Russia's athletics federation -- said Bach's concerns about athlete safety were not genuine, citing tennis players still being allowed to compete on the international circuit.
The IOC itself has not sanctioned the Russian Olympic Committee or barred its Russian members from taking part in its meetings despite calls to do so.
Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov said on Thursday in separate comments that its main concerns were "unprecedented restrictions" imposed on the country's athletes and the uncertainty surrounding qualifications for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Lasitskene won gold at last year's Tokyo Olympics without the Russian flag and anthem due to doping sanctions against the country.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Toby Davis)
