President of the All-Russian Swimming Federation Vladimir Salnikov in an interview with , he said that first of all, representatives of the CIS, BRICS and SCO countries are expected at the World Friendship Games, but did not rule out the arrival of winners of the biggest tournaments.
As previously learned, the IOC sent letters to the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) at the end of October asking them to refuse to participate in the Friendship Games, which will be held from September 15 to 29, 2024 in Moscow and Yekaterinburg.
— In September, we will host the Friendship Games. The prize fund amounts to 4 billion rubles. Who can we expect to see swimming in Yekaterinburg a month after the Paris Olympics?
— I don’t know how the prize funds will be distributed between disciplines and distances, but we have to see that now. I won’t say it’s the most important thing. But if the money is announced a few days before the start of the Friendship Games, you will not have to pay anything at all – the incentive for athletes should work on time. They simply won’t have time to orient themselves. Of course, we will send invitations to all the federations…
— And American too?
– Yes. Well why not? I can say it on a sporting level: we value each other, because we know how much work it takes to win a medal at the World Championships or the Olympic Games. And I did not observe a political component between the athletes. We all work in our own workshop and understand each other without words. It’s when politics interfere that chaos begins.
We will invite everyone. I can’t say now who will come. Naturally, we are waiting first of all for the CIS countries, BRICS and the SCO. I do not exclude the arrival of titled athletes, winners of major tournaments. But the decision will be on their side. No one will be forced to do so. And you shouldn’t do that. We must show that we are ready to invite everyone. And if someone doesn’t come, it doesn’t matter, we’ll have more.
The doors are open, we are waiting for guests. Well done on our arrival, we love you. If they didn’t come, well, it’s their fault,” Salnikov told .
Source : MatchTV
I’m John White and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. My specialty is covering sports news, which I’ve been doing for over 6 years now. During this time, I have worked as an author with Athletistic, a popular online news website focusing on sports topics.
