MOSCOW, August 12, Pavel Levkovich. Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said, that the skier Veronika Stepanova, in her address to the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach, expressed the point of view of the majority of Russian athletes. The 2022 Olympic champion Stepanova turned to Bach after his statement that the IOC still does not recommend inviting Russian or Belarusian athletes to international tournaments. The skier promised to train with triple strength in order to have the pleasure of seeing the face of the head of the IOC when he presents her with a medal at future Games. «Stepanova can probably be cited as an example as a person who expresses not only her point of view, but also the point of view of the majority athletes. For us, with all due respect to Bach, his opinion on the future of Russian sports is not decisive. We have the President of the Russian Federation, a strategy for the development of physical culture and sports, which determines the standards and stages of development. It is self-sufficient. This period of sanctions is only additional makes it possible to do self-analysis, calculate resources and strengthen the national sports system. Athletes are like flag bearers of the system, if they are now with such a system, then it is right,» Matytsin told reporters.
