2013 World Long Jump Champion Alexander Menkov after finishing his performance at the Russian Cup in Bryansk, where the athlete became fourth, he told about his vision of how the situation will develop with the non-admission of Russian athletes to international departures.
– Where am I going? Decidedly nowhere, because nothing will be decided for the rest of the season. Something, as we are promised, will be closer to winter. But, it seems to me that nothing will change between now and winter. It would be nice to come back by 2024 and there is already hope for a miracle, that maybe they will start giving everyone neutral status, and not selectively. In this regard, of course, I am a little depressed – it is understood that you will not go anywhere, and it is naturally difficult to prepare, – said the 31-year-old athlete.
At the end of February, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that federations withdraw Russians from participating in international competitions due to events in Ukraine. In March, the World Athletics Association (World Athletics) announced that Russians could not compete under the organization’s auspices. Subsequently, the Diamond League announced that it would not allow Russian athletes to participate in the series stages.
The All-Russian Athletics Federation (VFLA) has been stripped of its World Athletics (then IAAF) membership since November 2015 due to a doping scandal. Russian athletes can participate in international competitions only after obtaining neutral athlete status.
Source : MatchTV
