Stepanova: “Hey, Russian companies and corporations, when will you offer contracts to Chikunova? We don’t have a better athlete now!”

Olympic cross-country skiing champion Veronique Stepanova In her column on , she called on Russian sponsors to take an interest in the swimming record holder. Evgenia Chikunova .

Chikunova in July, at the Russian Cup final, showed a result better than the time with which Tatyana Smith (South Africa) and Kate Douglass (USA) won the 100 and 200 meters breaststroke respectively at the Olympic Games. The Russian woman will receive two million rubles for each success.

Earlier it became known that the All-Russian Swimming Federation (RSF) will announce Chikunova during its competitions as the winner of the 2024 Olympic Games.

— The prize money of our main competitions is also quite worthy – quite comparable to what is paid in many countries for victories at the Olympic Games. How much will Katie Ledecky receive for gold at the Olympic Games? About as much as the already mentioned Chikunova. Another thing, the American has advertising contracts with at least five major brands. This is what we lack so much: a line of potential sponsors directly to the pedestal! Hey, Russian companies and corporations, where are you? When will you offer contracts to Zhenya Chikunova? We don’t have a better athlete now!

The most interesting thing is that our consumer market is growing, and Russian companies are confidently mastering the niches vacated by Western brands. But the Pennsylvania chocolate factory that left Russia sponsors the American swimmer, and where is the Moscow, St. Petersburg or Togliatti chocolate factory? Why do our businessmen still live under the slogan “a good thing will sell itself”, while Americans and Europeans know for sure that it will not sell and will not pay athletes for their promotion? — wrote Stepanova.

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