The organizers of the European wrestling championship in Romania should be fined for the fact that the Russian Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulayev was denied entry to the country, Olympic speed skating champion and State Duma deputy told Svetlana Jourova .
Initially, Sadulaev did not receive a Romanian visa to participate in the tournament, after which he received a visa after re-applying through another country and traveled to Bucharest. On Thursday, Russian Wrestling Federation President Mikhail Mamiashvili told that the two-time Olympic freestyle wrestling champion was refused entry due to doubts over the athlete’s visa.
“We need to understand that such situations can begin to have a sequential nature. Other countries may support Romania’s decision and, following their example, not allow Russian athletes to enter the territory of their country. You should contact the sports federation and, if possible, request a fine, because the country or organizing committee did not provide the opportunity for an athlete with the right to participate in competitions.
In a recent example, we saw that the International Tennis Federation had regulations, so the British Tennis Association was fined for refusing Russian athletes to participate in Wimbledon. Now they are so cute that they let our tennis players in. We must refer to competition standards, otherwise such situations will continue, and this could happen at the Paris Olympics. Athletes may be accredited but not allowed to enter the country because they will be stopped at the border.
It is precisely for this reason that many federations do not want to admit us. They understand that a Russian athlete may not be allowed to enter the country, which is why a number of competitions and tournaments will be disrupted. They hide behind safety standards, but in reality it all comes down to money, risks associated with organizing (tournaments) and broadcasting,” Zhurova told .
Freestyle wrestling competitions at the European Championships will begin on Friday. Sadulaev competes in the weight category up to 97 kilograms.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
