KEMEROVO, Sep 29, Sergey Smyshlyaev. 2000 Olympic fencing champion Italian Paolo Milanoli called the attitude of world sports institutions towards Russian and Belarusian athletes a shame. At the end of February, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions due to the situation in Ukraine. Most of the federations followed this recommendation. «When people ask me what my nationality is, I say sports. Throughout my career, I have wondered what sport means. It is the most powerful tool for self-expression, but we are responsible. But today these values are distorted and trampled «To please someone's interests. Today, Olympians and Paralympians have been deprived of the dream they worked for. This is unacceptable, even if some corrupt journalists want us to think it is right. We, the athletes, should be part of a single team,» Milanoli said on plenary session of the International Sports Forum «Russia — a sports power.» «The covenants are shamefully betrayed. International sports institutions refused to fulfill their task. They abandoned us. These institutions no longer represent us. They failed their task. When I hear them speak from my name, I shudder and feel ashamed.I appeal to the Russians and Belarusians: the attitude towards your athletes is shame. We need to be with you so this doesn't happen again. All Italian athletes with whom I spoke agree with me. Sports should unite. I believe that we should all stay united by spreading our values. We athletes are the biggest nation, we are invincible,» he concluded.
