Four times world champion Alexander Maltsev said the denial of the opportunity to speak at the Spartakiad of the strongest is offensive to the athletes.
The Spartakiad of the strongest takes place only in the Olympic disciplines. A mixed duo is not. Mixed pairs only compete for medals at World and European Championships. In 2021 the World Cup did not take place due to the pandemic, now they are suspended from international competitions until the end of the year amid the situation in Ukraine.
In the main alternate start of the Spartakiad of the Strongest, the mixed duet was denied, although the Russian Synchronized Swimming Federation tried to change this situation.
The mixed duos include Maltsev, multiple world champion Maya Gurbanberdiyeva and European champion Olesya Platonova.
“Of course, it’s embarrassing for us. We were waiting for the World Cup – it’s important for all of us, but in the end we missed it. For Olesya, it should be a start. They still don’t have the title of Honored Master of Sports with Maya.At the same time, Maya is a double world champion, and she does not have such a title, because during a world championship there were not enough duets among the participants, and now we have missed the world championship. As for the Spartakiad, we were told that the Russian Championship would be assimilated to the European Championship, the Friendship Games to the World Championship… We do not At the same time, the Spartakiad has the most important status, although the regions will perform there, Maltsev told .
Source : MatchTV
