The head coach of the Russian taekwondo team, Vadim Ivanov, told that athletes who have obtained personal Olympic licenses are ready to go to the Paris Games.
On March 10, the taekwondo qualifying tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games ended in Sofia (Bulgaria). Russian taekwondo athletes Maxim Khramtsov (up to 80 kg), Tatyana Minina (up to 57 kg ) and Polina Khan (over 67 kg) won three Olympic licenses. Previously, the license was received by Olympic champion Vladislav Larin, who won the Grand Slam final in China.
“We could have qualified for Paris thanks to the Olympic ranking, but because of the suspension we were deprived of this opportunity. Then there were ghostly chances of qualifying for the Grand Slam tournament. Vladislav Larin won the license there.
The last opportunity is the European qualifying tournament. And the most important task was to obtain licenses. Under current conditions, we were able to obtain the maximum number of tickets for the Games.
Thanks to the ranking, they are selected in four male and female weight categories. And we could send two men and two women to the European qualifying tournament, but since Larin had already received a license, we were able to send one man and two women to the tournament to choose from the remaining four weights. categories. And they showed one hundred percent results under existing conditions.
Previously, we were usually not selected via qualifying tournaments, but always via the Olympic ranking. So you can lose somewhere, win somewhere. But here there is a tournament – and you have no right to make a mistake, defeat will deprive you of your Olympic license. All the guys did well, there was tension because there wasn’t enough competitive training and we had to adjust the preparation.
— Taekwondo athletes obtained personalized licenses. Do you have any idea if they will leave? There is still no official decision on participation.
— Every day we have some kind of milestone. On January 10, the World Taekwondo Federation finally allowed us to participate in international tournaments. The next step is preparation for the Olympic Games: the European Championships will take place in Serbia in May. Training is planned in mid-mountains, from March 21 to April 10 we are leaving for Uzbekistan. There will be Belarusians and Jordanians. We will solve some problems in technical and tactical training, partly in physical training. And then, depending on the decisions taken, preparation for the Olympic Games will be built. Theoretically, we built it, written it into a single calendar plan. We try to do our job efficiently.
— If the sports authorities give the green light, are the athletes ready to go?
– Yes, that’s correct.
– Is there anyone who will refuse?
– I won’t say that we discuss it, we even eliminate these conversations. There are many different statements, but our task is to prepare and carry out in order to achieve the maximum result. What you can’t change, you don’t need to think about. There are responsible people who make decisions regarding participation in the Olympic Games.
— What can we count on in Paris, given the years of suspension?
— I wouldn’t like to make any predictions. You must complete all training that has been provided. In February, Khramtsov was injured; the question was whether he would have time to recover in time for the European qualifying tournament. Yes, the suspension affected different athletes differently. We don’t have a cyclical sport; we can measure our strength in the conflict with our main rival. You have to fight with the biggest world leaders,” Ivanov told .
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in December 2023 that it would allow Russian athletes who successfully qualify for the 2024 Olympics with neutral individual status (AIN), without a flag, anthem or other national symbol. The IOC also banned the participation of athletes associated with security forces or who have expressed support for the SVO.
The Olympic Games in the French capital will be held from July 26 to August 11.
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.
