Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said that eligible athletes from our country should not boycott international tournaments, but should continue the dialogue and protect their own interests. But the head of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), Stanislav Pozdnyakov, noted that our athletes are increasingly encouraged to betray their homeland, so in the near future, transfers to other countries may be blocked.
«Some will perform, while others will stay at home» At the end of March, the executive committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations on the admission of Russian athletes, which many of us called humiliating. In addition to the neutral status, there were clauses about the lack of support for the NWO and communication with the armed forces or security agencies. For two months now, there have been disputes about whether our athletes should compete in international competitions under such conditions.
At first, the rhetoric of the leadership of Russian sports was relatively neutral, because it was not completely clear how the international federations would act. And for the most part, they are not going to let our guys go anywhere. And if they do, then with restrictions and after screening. As a result, only a few get the opportunity to compete. In judo, for example, despite such a division, the Russian team nevertheless performed at the World Championships. But the head of the Russian Fencing Federation, Ilgar Mammadov, adheres to the position that either everyone or no one should perform. However, he is not going to deny access to tournaments to those who were given it.
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"As a result, some will perform, while others will stay at home. Wouldn't that be a betrayal of them? By and large, it is proposed to betray half of the athletes, and even speaking without belonging to their homeland. Such a division can simply ruin our team, which sooner or later will return to the international arena anyway. At the same time, we do not in any way prohibit admitted athletes from participating in tournaments if they have such a desire. We do not restrict anyone. But to divide the team into «good» and «bad» we don’t want athletes,” said Mammadov Sport.
The ROC and the Ministry of Sports without a unified positionThe head of the ROC, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, has moved to tougher statements against the IOC in recent months, and also drew attention to the problem of changing citizenship by our athletes. Such cases have indeed become more frequent. The first precedent was a case in figure skating, where the holder of a Russian passport, Dario Chirizano, was blocked from joining the Czech national team. Pozdnyakov hinted that without the approval of the ROC, such transitions would soon be simply impossible.
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“It must be recalled that without the approval of the executive committee of the Russian Olympic Committee, most of the athletes who can be dragged to another country in this way will not be able to compete at the Olympic Games over the next few years. It is important that we do not act from the position of total denial in this issue. But we proceed from the fact that uniform, non-discriminatory criteria should be applied to athletes of any jurisdiction. In international sports, everyone should have equal rights and obligations,» Pozdnyakov wrote in his Telegram channel.
The position of the head of the ROC is understandable and logical. It is necessary to save Russian sports by any means, even such tough ones. If we let everyone go, then we will allow a giant failure in development. There is no doubt that the country has a large number of young talents, but it will take a long time before they are ready to show high results in the international arena. Pozdnyakov also believes that in the current conditions it is impossible to agree to the requirements of the IOC. Sports Minister Matytsin, on the contrary, is not so categorical. In a conversation with him, he expressed the opinion that the boycott of tournaments is not productive, and contacts with international federations must be maintained. our athletes,” said the head of the department.
So it turns out that Russian sports are divided into two camps, and a common position has not yet been developed. However, even among the fans there is no consensus on whether to consider those who want to play in a neutral status as traitors or handsome men. But there is less and less time to make a decision.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.