IG Live with Uroš Velepec: “Such bloodshed serves no one any good”

In this time’s IG Live conversation Call me Irena held on Friday, 4 March 2022, MEP Irena Joveva hosted Uroš Velepec, former head coach of the Slovenian national biathlon team who is now working with the Ukrainian national team. They talked about biathlon and sport in general, and especially about the current war in Ukraine, as Velepec’s protégés have been conscripted into the army. “Nobody thought that someone could start such bloodshed, which serves no one any good”, said Velepec clearly, not mincing his words about the Russian president or his supporters and about the sanctions on athletes: “They are to blame for not speaking up. If you live in a country where you are not allowed to speak your mind, then that country is worth nothing.”

Velepec started by answering a question about how he ended up with the Ukrainian national biathlon team, and described the popularity of biathlon in Ukraine, saying that it is “the unrivalled number one winter sport”. He then touched on the recently concluded Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, where he, too, was present. He stressed that he is very happy for Slovenian athletes and their excellent results and that their successes were an inspiration for him as well.

Most of the questions were related to the current situation in Ukraine, where war is raging as a result of Russian aggression. Velepec admitted that he is very emotional about it. “So far, female athletes have only been called up, but their male counterparts are fighting, mainly in those places where it is currently the worst. There are 14 of them in my team, and I spend more time with them than with my family.” He said that talking to them is very difficult, and the worst thing is if there is no response for a while, because he imagines the worst. He tries to help as much as he can, although he constantly feels there is more he could do. “People talked about it during the Olympics, but nobody thought that it would come to this, that someone could start such bloodshed, which serves no one any good and goes against all logic,” he added.

Biathletes are usually employed in the army, and he himself was part of the Slovenian Armed Forces sports unit for 25 years. “These jobs are great in peacetime. No one in my team ever thought they would ever have to pick up a weapon save in competition,” he said.

He and the MEP shared the wish that the situation would calm down as soon as possible. When asked about Russian president Vladimir Putin, Velepec’ answer was very direct:

“He is definitely a tyrant. I would suggest to the Russophiles who support him – and there are some in Slovenia – to go and live in Vladivostok or Novosibirsk and see what it is like to live on $25 a month. People there are oppressed, this is not a fairy tale. I have been to Russia several times and I know how people live there.”

In his opinion, Putin dislikes democracy, which will sooner or later bring an end to his regime, too. Velepec was also clear in his support for sanctions on Russian (and Belarusian) athletes, specifically biathletes:

“These sanctions may make them grumble back home that they cannot pursue their profession because the international public is against them and that they are not to blame for anything. They are to blame for not speaking up. /…/ If you live in a country where you are not allowed to speak your mind, either stupid or clever, then that country is worth nothing.”

Joveva and her guest also discussed the future of Russian and Ukrainian biathletes in competitions, the possibility of post-war trauma, the interconnection between politics and sport, and, not least, Velepec revealed his favourite biathlon location.

Finally, they both hoped that as few lives as possible would be lost and that next time – as soon as possible – they would talk about how the Ukrainian national biathlon team is training in Slovenia and that everyone is alive and well. Velepec concluded the conversation by expressing his gratitude to Slovenes for their response and help to Ukrainians.

You can watch the full recording of the conversation on MEP Joveva’s Instagram profile.