State Duma deputy, two-time Olympic hockey champion Vyacheslav Fetisov told Komsomolskaya Pravda that he had no idea how Russian athletes might be allowed to compete in the Olympics if selection for the Games in many sports had already been completed.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that it will issue invitations to 203 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) for the 2024 Games on July 26. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), the NOC of Belarus and the NOC of Guatemala will not receive invitations on the scheduled date.
– The IOC recently announced that it would not invite the Russian Olympic Committee to the Paris Games. At the same time, he reports that, they say, it is not about the athletes themselves. That is, they kind of push our athletes to apply there on their own under certain conditions. Is it worth getting involved?
– I understood at some point that the athletes are not responsible for what happened, the unfortunate managers did something wrong. So, I drowned, as they say, so that we could participate in the Games, without a flag, without an anthem, so that everyone would understand that these are our guys. Today, the situation has changed. The status we are offered, almost as refugees, is a humiliating story. Of course, everyone can make their own decision, they can live with it… But today, I think we should be there with a flag and an anthem.
– There is actually a year left before the Olympic Games. Something is going to be solved, what do you think?
– Now there are qualifying starts, but we are not taking part in them. How are they going to let us into the Games? If they have reserved places for us, what will they say later… The selection is in progress, in many sports it is already over.
– The players have already been there – volleyball, handball, field hockey…
– They went that way. Artistic gymnastics, there is also a competition. How will they allow Russian athletes? They brainwash us.
The Olympic Games in the French capital will take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
TVNZ
Source : MatchTV
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