“If someone asked me if I would participate in the Olympics under a neutral flag, I would answer in the affirmative.” Interview with Mikhail Rakhlin

Mikhail Rakhlin – Honored coach of Russia in judo, and now a member of the international arbitration commission. At the Tokyo Games he worked under the Russian flag, now in anticipation of his second Olympic Games. Like athletes, he also needs to get in shape. Rakhlin is preparing for Paris in Moscow: he is the chief judge of the All-Russian competition in memory of VM Andreev, which is taking place these days in the capital.

In an interview with , Rakhlin spoke about the difference between a judge on the mat and behind him, the new rules of judo, the admission of Russian athletes to the Olympic Games, as well as the attitude of Ukrainian athletes towards the Russians.

“There are too many restrictions, it’s hard to accept”

– How did you work on the refereeing moments on the first day of the tournament in memory of Andreev?

– The judges took a break, we had to ride. The day has been good. The first meetings were stressful for me. I was afraid that the judges would forget something, but everything is fine, everyone remembers everything. There were controversial moments, but it always happens, there was no heat and anxiety from the athletes and coaches. So we did.

– Is it more difficult to work behind the tatami as head referee or referee on the mat?

– The level of responsibility is different, the head judge is responsible for all actions of all judges. Another point is that I have a camera, I can watch a controversial moment, the referee has no such opportunity on the mat. The chief referee can always correct the error of his colleague, it is his duty, he must respond to everything quickly.

– Is there judicial ethics when the actions of other arbitrators are not discussed?

– Yes there is. We don’t criticize ourselves. If something controversial happens, then we have to resolve everything peacefully. There is no authority, only relationships. If there are points of contention, we will discuss them during the meeting.

– Nevertheless, I can not help but ask: how did they react to the referee’s decision in the fight between Tasoev and Riner at the May World Cup in Doha (in the final Russian Inal Tasoev threw the two-time Olympic champion Teddy Riner, but the judge did not evaluate this action, after which the Frenchman was able to win the fight. Later, the International Judo Federation admitted the error of the referee and declared Tasoev world champion – About “”)?

– It’s more difficult here, because the rules that existed at the beginning of the year interpreted such situations differently. When I watched, as a Russian national team fan, I was offended that they didn’t give a rating. It was a controversial, ambiguous situation. But the decision was reversed. I knew for sure that there were precedents based on which they could give a second gold medal. In the end, that’s what happened.

– Would you rate Tasoev’s throw?

– I cannot judge the actions of my athletes. I’ll leave the answer, because it’s not that simple, there are a lot of changes in the rules, but lately it’s a very fine line: an evaluation or not. For me, it’s Tasoev’s action, he definitely turned it around, Riner didn’t go down on his own, that’s for sure. Inal left him, I’ll tell.

– Frequent changes in judo rules – where do they lead?

– The stated goal is to make judo understandable to everyone. For a man from the street to come in, watch the fight and figure it all out. But it wasn’t any clearer. Unfortunately, we have too many restrictions, it’s hard to see now. Many things need to be resolved. It couldn’t have been easier. I understand why some things were introduced, but still.

– We have the feeling that the judokas themselves do not understand these rules well, there are too many controversial cases.

– Using the example of the Russian team, I can say that they receive information about the rules not from judges, but from coaches. Coaches often interpret these rules as they see fit, but referees take a very different approach. Here you have to listen to the judges, because on the tatami the decision is made by the referee, not the coach.

I know, at the national team level, sometimes we come to the competition, and the athlete asks me: “Why do they give me shido?” You start explaining, and he replies, “But no one told me.” For a moment, this is the level of participants in the Olympic Games. Therefore, there should be seminars not only for judges, but also for athletes. Yes, sometimes guys can come and ask me something, but these are isolated cases.

– Who exactly among the Russian judoists came to ask for advice?

– I spoke with Inal Tasoev, and with Arman Adamyan, and Mikhail Igolnikov, with Madina Taymazova. I spoke to many people, but only named those I immediately remembered.

“I have every chance of qualifying for the Paris Games”

– You worked as a judge at the Tokyo Olympics under the flag of the Russian team. What are the chances of going to Paris?

– I am still working, but now I am not a tatami referee, but a member of the refereeing commission. I have already been authorized to participate, a departure has already worked, I am preparing the next one. I have every chance of qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

– That is, you will be allowed to be a member of the Judiciary Committee, regardless of your country of origin?

– I think so. The decision will be taken by the general, but I do not represent myself or the country, but the international judicial commission of judo. There is the same selection for the judges’ commission as for the athletes.

– If our athletes are not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games, can they really have an alternative? They themselves know how to get through this, because the Olympics are the pinnacle of a sports career.

– I completely agree on the Olympics. This is the goal of the athlete, towards which he goes. It will still not be possible to replace it with something equivalent, regardless of the monetary price. Everyone knows that OI-1980 and OI-1984 were inferior, because at first some were absent, then others. Many later regretted not being able to participate.

To date, there are no such competitions on our planet. They take place every four years – this is important for athletes. When you get there yourself, you feel the atmosphere – everything becomes clear.

I really hope that our athletes will be at the Olympics. If they asked me: “Will you participate in the Olympic Games under a neutral flag?” I would say, “Yes, I will.” You’ve been there all your life, maybe this is your only chance. Therefore, if there is such an opportunity, it is necessary to participate in it.

– If our athletes leave, they will probably have to face Ukrainian athletes. At the World Fencing Championship, held in July in Italy, Ukrainian saber fencer Olga Kharlan did not shake hands with Russian Anna Smirnova. How can a judge be in such a situation?

– It’s unpleasant when politics interferes in sport. We know it was in fencing and tennis. But in fencing there are such rules that the duel must end with a handshake. There is nothing like it in judo.

I think this is such an exaggerated story. Not on our side, on the other. Ukrainian athletes use it for evil purposes. There is a lot of politics here, it destroys the sport. There was an athlete Sagi Muki, the representative of Israel. The federation banned him from going out to fight Mollai (Iran), well, the federation was disqualified. You cannot continue on one side. Just change the rules in advance, not after such an event. We have enough other conflicts on the planet, we wouldn’t want any in sports.