“Many will understand me, some won’t. I’m not saying that I own the truth and stand above others, but as a person I have the right to have a personal opinion and I can talk about.
As a representative of athletes and as an athlete, I think we should consider the possibility of returning Russian and Belarusian athletes to competitions. This is the main message. I was elected to the IOC to protect athletes. And sometimes I feel like I’m not protecting them. Of course, they are Russians and Belarusians, but they are also athletes. And they should also be protected on this basis.
Throughout my career, I fought against Russia because of doping problems. He was one of the few to take a public stand against the Russian authorities on doping issues. Nobody has the possibility to accuse me of having pro-Russian opinions.
Athletes don’t have to decide who they compete with. We may profess different religions and have different worldviews, but in a peaceful sports arena, we must show everyone that we can be happy with each other and fight against each other, professing the values of sport. I have defended this position since day one and I would have betrayed myself if I had not defended it,” said Fourcade, quoted by NRK.
In addition, the French biathlete stressed that he does not support Russia’s policy, but does not believe that athletes should suffer from it.
<!–
Подпишитесь на Athletistic:
–>
Source: Sport
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
