There is less and less time left before the Paris Olympics, and the participation of Russian athletes is no longer clear. On Friday, the President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Stanislav Pozdnyakov made a number of statements. On the one hand, the position of the state on the issue of sanctions pressure on sports is clearly indicated. On the other hand, one can see the continuation of a heated discussion between the parties that are not capable of conducting a compromise dialogue.
For more than a year, Russian sports have been living under sanctions. The non-participation of Russians in the World Championships, Europe and World Cups is no longer surprising. And yet, no one wants to put an end to participation in the Games in Paris. The fight for a trip there will be fought to the very end. On March 28, the executive committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that international federations allow Russians who did not support the special operation as neutral athletes to compete. At the same time, the organization proposed to refuse participation to athletes associated with the armed forces and security agencies, as well as teams in team disciplines.
In Russia, the condition caused a wide wave of indignation. It was clear — the connection of domestic sports with law enforcement and government departments is one of the guarantors of its comfortable and full-fledged existence. The result is a large number of athletes with various titles, positions, medals. And the IOC decided to «step on a sore spot», knowing the situation. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the negative reaction of the ROC to the initiative of foreign colleagues. The answer was harsh: no intra-team divisions into «good» and «bad». question:
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“In the recommendations themselves, which are publicly available on the IOC website and are an integral part of the system for allowing Russian athletes to compete in a neutral status, there are obvious political points that do not allow moving further along the road map. Of course, these political requirements should be excluded».
At the same time, the head of the ROC remains cautiously optimistic about the return of the Russian team to the Games.
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«I am sure that Russia will return to the Olympic movement, and completely, without any restrictions associated with the flag, anthem and any other things. For the simple reason that the very essence of the Olympic movement contains peaceful competition for the good peace and prosperity. It was the dream of the founder of the modern Olympic movement, Pierre de Coubertin, to make this imperfect world better through sports. If we consider the Olympic movement in the contours laid down by the organizers, I am sure that we will return. I am not ready to name the timing of the return,» stressed Pozdnyakov.
In recent months, Russia has been trying to set up cooperation in the field of sports with friendly countries. First, it is necessary to show the futility of attempts to «cancel» domestic sports. Finally, it is important to provide the collections with competitive practice before returning to the international arena. Special hopes were associated with the eastern direction of activity. The possibility of selection by Russian athletes for the 2024 Olympics through the Asian Games was noted.
Unfortunately, this option is now impossible.
“If we go back to the recommendations of the IOC, which are posted on the website of the organization in the public domain, we will see that they contain a number of political requirements that are absolutely unacceptable. It clearly states that athletes do not have the right to represent either their national federation or own national committee. In this part, the hypothetical possibility of an organized performance at these competitions looks rather strange. I can’t say more, until the ROC receives an invitation to this event, it makes no sense to discuss this issue in detail, «Pozdnyakov stated.< br>
It turns out that Russian sport is now forced to stew in its own juice and run in collections at domestic competitions. From such an outcome, Russia and foreign countries will not be able to benefit in any way. Everyone loses, from athletes and spectators to organizers and sponsors. The Russian Olympic Committee, the IOC, the international federations have exchanged their own views, but all this is still an endless discussion. It is unlikely to end in the near future. Although some points of contact appear, opinions on the key and most painful points are very polar. And the hysteria on both sides («Russians have no place in competitions!» vs. «We will create our own Olympics!») does not add positive and constructive.
Meanwhile, a little more than a year remains until Paris 2024…
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors
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