MOSCOW, Oct 24, Alexander Govorov. Sports commentator Dmitry Guberniev believes that Russian athletes need to speak out more actively about suspension from international competitions. Previously, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) extended the suspension of Russian athletes from international competitions for an indefinite period.
"It is a mystery to me why Russian skiers are silent. Everything was taken from the people. The age of an athlete is short. Alexander Bolshunov and Natalya Nepryaeva are in their prime. Guys, why are you silent? You can contact the IOC, as Maria Lasitskene did. We must knock on all doors — at the IOC, at the rivals, at the fans. You can even write in Russian, everything will be translated there. Why are young people silent? Nepryaeva and Bolshunov at least took their medals, but what about the next generation? It won't get any worse for them, but you can at least try. But I understand why they are silent. In Russian skiing, only one person can express a point of view. Our skiers are silent, because the most important thing is not to offend the "Shamakhan queen", Guberniev said.
The commentator also noted that of our skiers, only Olympic champion Veronika Stepanova is not afraid to talk about problems.» Björndalen once told me that we would have had much less problems if we talked with rivals and journalists, including in English. As a result, the British skier Andrew Musgrave takes the rap for our athletes. And of our athletes, he knows how to speak, apparently , only Veronika Stepanova,» Guberniev added. Earlier, Musgrave said that he would like to see all the strongest athletes on the planet, including Russians, among the participants in the World Cup.