MOSCOW, Oct 27 Sevastopol General Director Valery Chaly expressed his opinion about the political situation in sports. According to the functionary, now sport is very politicized and is a conductor of the interests of Western countries. «Only in ancient Greece did they stop wars and hold the Olympic Games. This is called sports outside of politics. And we have politics. Especially football. Sports — a lever of political influence on countries. The younger generation is involved in sports, and Western officials from Europe and America put people in such a position. The age of an athlete is very short, he devotes all his health to sports, to his business. And politics does not allow him to realize himself, «leads Chaly's words «Sport-Express». According to the general director, Russian athletes will not return to international competitions in the near future. Chaly believes that time in isolation should be spent on the development of sports within the country. Then Russia will be asked to reintegrate into the world sports community. «We have football fields, World Cup stadiums, funding, bases, players — we have everything! Just don't look at the West and think when they will accept us. We must make sure that Russia This was asked, and not to walk with an outstretched hand. Nobody respects such people, but we must respect ourselves and force everyone to reckon with us,» he added. At the end of February, the IOC recommended that sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to for the situation in Ukraine. Most IFs have followed this recommendation. In October, the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, at the general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees, called for continued compliance with recommendations regarding sanctions against athletes from Russia and Belarus.
