MOSCOW, December 20, Oleg Bogatov. Four-time Olympic champion in biathlon Alexander Tikhonov said that he fully agrees with the words of the President of the All-Russian Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics Irina Viner, who called it impossible for domestic athletes to participate in the 2024 Games on the terms dictated by international organizations, since without the authority of a coach and strict discipline there are no great achievements.
Earlier, Wiener stated that she considers it unacceptable for Russian athletes to perform at the Olympic Games in Paris in a neutral status. The Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) previously announced the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the Games in Paris in an individual neutral status, subject to a number of criteria. The Olympics in the French capital will be held from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
“»I absolutely agree with Irina Aleksandrovna’s words. And I’ve been talking about this for a long time. Doesn’t she put pressure on others with her authority? Without authority, we have football, which is in deep trouble. They don’t need to build a complex in Sochi, but they need to send them to train somewhere on the reservation. And without authority and without the discipline of the training process, like Wiener, like Tatyana Nikolaevna Pokrovskaya, like Elena Valerievna Vyalbe, like Tamara Nikolaevna Moskvina, like Tatyana Anatolyevna Tarasova, like Elena Anatolyevna Tchaikovskaya, from where Will there be good results? Because there is discipline and there is the authority of the coach,” Tikhonov said.
«Irina Viner is right in everything. After all, even if our athletes go to the Olympics, if they qualify, then only 30-40 people, no more. Right? So what are we talking about then? If you have a desire, change your citizenship and travel at your own expense. The state spends a lot of money on us,” the agency’s interlocutor emphasized.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously said that Russian athletes should be given a chance to compete at the Olympic Games, despite their neutral status. At the same time, the head of state noted that if there is an infringement of the rights of athletes from the sports societies CSKA and Dynamo, then the Ministry of Sports and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) must make a “balanced decision.”