“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.” Salnikov, president of the All-Russian Swimming Federation, on the boycott of the 1984 Olympics

President of the All-Russian Swimming Federation Vladimir Salnikov On the air of the program “There is a subject” on , he spoke about what helped him, after the boycott of the 1984 Olympic Games, to find the strength to prepare for the 1988 Games and win gold.

Salnikov is a four-time Olympic champion, four-time world champion, five-time European champion, he has set more than 20 world records.

— How did you perceive the decision to boycott the 1984 Olympic Games? What helped you win at Seoul 1988?

— The situation was difficult and the perception. The target “flew away” and almost disappeared. Many athletes have found the strength to prepare more. My goal at the end of my career was to tell myself that I had done it all. Thanks to the support of his loved ones, he regained his strength and participated in the next Olympic Games in 1988.

I wouldn’t wish anyone to experience that. Now the situation may be different. Although close. Athletes give their strength, but now they seem to be left with nothing. You can think about it. But even at home you can prove that you are the best, win the championship, set world records.

Now there are BRICS and the Friendship Games. We are moving in this direction. And athletes can show high results,” Salnikov said on .

Previously it became known that the World Aquatics statement invited Russian athletes claiming neutral status to indicate the existence of contracts with military departments and to indicate whether any statements were made about the situation in Ukraine, including on the networks social. In the statement, obtained by , athletes are asked to accept World Aquatics’ eligibility criteria, based on recommendations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Admission is carried out only in individual events, where one person competes, there is a ban on communication with the media and a limit on the number of people declared in a discipline for neutral status.

At the end of March, the IOC also announced recommendations for the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions. Recommendations include individual admission, neutral status, banning participation in team sports, and banning the participation of athletes associated with security forces or who have expressed support for the SVO.