Double Olympic champion Dmitry Vasilyev reacted to the statement of Trondheim Mayor Kent Ranum regarding the exclusion of Russian athletes from the World Ski Championships.
Earlier, Trondheim Mayor Kent Ranum expressed the position of the local government, which does not intend to allow Russian athletes to compete. Trondheim will host the next World Ski Championships.
— There is nothing new in this statement from the mayor of Trondheim. Today, everyone is affected by the virus of Russophobia, by the lack of objective information and common sense. We know that athletes cannot be responsible for the actions of the governments of their country; the very principle of Olympism and sport is to stay out of politics. When figures like Kent Ranum engage in populism and try to conform to trends toward condemnation of all things Russian, they are simply solving a short-term problem to gain attention.
It remains to be seen when this mayor of Trondheim will have his next elections. Today, many people are taking advantage of the current situation to improve their popularity, while presenting themselves as some sort of peacemakers, which they are not. A reasonable politician should not call for discord, but rather appease people through sport. Such leaders should simply be put in prison for such statements,” Vasiliev was quoted as saying by RT.
Since March 2022, Russian skiers have no longer participated in international tournaments under the auspices of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) due to the situation in Ukraine.
RT
Source : MatchTV
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