MOSCOW, Oct 4, Pavel Levkovich. Three-time Olympic champion, State Duma deputy Irina Rodnina said that the compromise proposed by the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach in relation to Russian athletes is a betrayal of his country. Earlier, the head of the IOC, Bach, in an interview with the Italian edition of Corriere della Sera, said that Russian athletes who do not support the special operation in Ukraine , it is necessary to allow participation in international competitions in a neutral status. «I, like many, took Bach's statement with hostility. The only right to qualify for international competitions, especially the Olympic Games, is the places and results that athletes show. And that compromise, which Bach proposed is a betrayal of their country. If it is in the order of things for them and is somehow encouraged by the Olympic Committee, then this is not for our country, of course. There is even a stat ya, if you denounce someone, it is encouraged, and even sponsored. Will we have such athletes? I cannot be responsible for everyone, everyone is the master of his own happiness and misfortune. There are strong people, and there are weak ones, both have always been, are and will be. If such a person achieves something in sports, he will not be a hero,» Rodnina said. At the end of February, the IOC recommended that sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions due to the situation in Ukraine. Most international federations followed this recommendation .
