Olympic cross-country ski champion Veronica Stepanova in a column on , she wrote that the only justification for participation in the Paris Olympics for Russian athletes could be an event during which the athlete shows the flag and coat of arms of Russia, despite the ban of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The Paris Olympic Games will take place from July 26 to August 11. The IOC will grant Russian athletes successfully qualified for the 2024 Games individual neutral status without a flag, anthem or other national symbol. Stepanova believes that in current conditions Russian athletes should not participate in the Olympic Games.
— The very fact of participating in the Olympic Games does not provide any reward or fame. If at the start you count not on victory, but on participation, you are 100 years late, it was important in the time of Baron de Coubertin, but at the time the sport was amateur. And now – openly professional. Have you heard that track and field athletes have broken the last taboo and that for the first time in the history of sports the winners of the Olympic Games will receive cash prizes? De Coubertin would probably cry.
The only thing that can change my opinion is if one of our athletes in Paris makes a very noisy performance – he comes out with the flag and coat of arms of Russia, not caring about all the IOC bans. “Provocation,” international sports officials will say. I don’t care what they say! We must fight against stupidity. The restrictions imposed on the participation of Russian athletes constitute both the greatest stupidity and the greatest injustice in sport in recent years.
I am sure that Israeli athletes will particularly agree with my statement. “I will be happy to listen to their opinion,” Stepanova wrote in a column on .
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Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
