President of the Russian Diving Federation (RFDI) Stanislav Druzhinin reacted to a new statement by the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach, who explained the exclusion of Russian athletes from international competitions by protective measures.
Earlier, Bach told a press conference: “The issue of athletes’ participation cannot be part of the sanctions, because the position of the Olympic Movement has been and remains that athletes cannot be punished for the actions of their governments, unless they directly contribute to or support them. Thus, the issue of athlete participation has always been a protective measure, not part of the sanctions. To ensure the safety of athletes in Russia and in Belarus, we had to take these protective measures.”
– Bach’s words surprised me a lot. His statement that Russian athletes should be allowed delighted our entire sports community. Then followed the bipolar thought that they shouldn’t be allowed after all.
We hope that common sense will still prevail and that we can qualify and go to the Olympics. We are preparing for it. Our team works at the pace of the Olympic cycle, remains motivated and hopes to participate in international competitions. And we will participate in international competitions – that’s for sure, – said Druzhinin “”.
In February, the IOC Executive Board recommended that international federations prevent Russians and Belarusians from participating in competitions due to events in Ukraine. Many federations have followed these recommendations.
Source : MatchTV
