Four-time Olympic biathlon champion Alexander Tikhonov told that in the situation with the Moscow hockey player CSKA Ivan Fedotov the Russian side must fight for the goalkeeper.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced on August 14 that Fedotov breached a professional player’s contract by signing a deal with CSKA Moscow without permission from the Philadelphia Flyers NHL club, with which he has a contract. valid. The goalkeeper has been suspended for four months from September 1, 2023. CSKA have been sanctioned with an international transfer ban for one year from August 11 this year.
– What do you think of the situation of Ivan Fedotov, who was disqualified by the IIHF? Should I send it to Philadelphia?
– I do not understand the current policy of international federations in various sports, including biathlon. They seem to be turning against themselves, even if the situation can be fixed. So that there are no scandals, and that they stir them up. Now we see that there is pressure against Russia and Belarus in world sport. But if we are not there, then the competition falls.
The stands demand the best, and without ours, international sport suffers. In general, for a long time, many years ago, I called for the creation of the RHL – my own league, which will be independent of the IIHF, where the strongest clubs of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, from Uzbekistan… We don’t have to watch what the West will tell us.
I was the first vice-president of the International Biathlon Federation for eight years. When I entered the room where the executive committee sat, they all stood up. As under Stalin! So in Fedotov’s case, you have to fight for yourself. We are two allied states! No one can bring us to our knees. As Alexander Lukashenko says, don’t try to point fingers at us. In response, get a fist. It’s the only way with them. And the severity of the law speaks of his philanthropy. We must be for the sport of Russia and Belarus, two allied states. This is what is important. So there is no need to give Fedotov away,” Tikhonov told .
The KHL regular season kicks off on September 1 with a Cup opener match between CSKA and Ak Bars Kazan.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
