Double Olympic swimming champion Evgeny Rylov said he would not watch the 2024 Olympics, but wished good luck to Russian athletes who want to compete in the Paris Games.
In February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that sports federations not allow Russians and Belarusians to participate in international tournaments. Later, the recommendations were softened, and in December 2023, IOC chief Thomas Bach said that the organization would allow Russian and Belarusian athletes who had passed the selection process to the 2024 Summer Games in an individual neutral status. Compliance with the selection criteria is confirmed by a special IOC commission.
On Saturday, the Russian Wrestling Federation (FSBR) announced that Russian wrestlers who received an invitation from the IOC had refused to participate in the Olympic Games. The FSBR said it “does not accept the principle of non-sporting selection that guided the IOC when establishing the list of eligible athletes.” Earlier, a similar decision was made by the Russian Judo Federation.
— Russian judokas and wrestlers who have obtained their license for the Olympic Games have refused to go to Paris. Do you support their decision?
– This is their personal opinion. In principle, I do not really follow what is happening. Everyone chooses for himself whether to go or not. I said a long time ago that I would not go to these Olympic Games, but at the same time I did not persuade anyone to make such a decision, I did not forbid anyone.
— Will you watch the Olympics and support the Russians who will perform in Paris?
— I never really followed other sports. I only watched them when I was at the Olympics, when I had the opportunity. I’ve been doing sports all my life, sometimes I want to take a break. Well, I wish good luck to those guys who have a great desire to participate in the Olympics. But I probably won’t watch it.
— What are your plans for this season?
— Now I am preparing for the Russian Cup, which will take place from July 23 to 27. At the moment, this is the main starting point for me. I don’t know what will happen next. We’ll see, “Rylov told .
The Paris Olympics will take place from July 26 to August 11.
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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.
