Athletistic/OI-2024. Olympic speed skating champion and State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova has commented on the statements of the head of the All-Russian Federation of Kayak and Canoeing (VFGBK) Evgeniy Arkhipov about canoeist Olesya Romasenko, made after her failure at the Paris Olympics.

Romasenko failed to qualify for the semifinals of the 200m canoe singles event, finishing fourth in the quarterfinals with a time of 47.92 seconds. Arkhipov has expressed the opinion that Romasenko is a worthless athlete and that it is time for her to end her career. In July, Match TV reported that the 34-year-old had directly contacted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to obtain a license.

“We do not know all the details of the relationship between Arkhipov and Romasenko, we see the situation only from the outside. If the athletes came to the Olympics, it means that they were hoping for a medal. It is possible that initially Romasenko hoped for a good result and, therefore, no matter how difficult it was, she went to these competitions. Yes, if she won a medal, everyone would forgive her for the difficulties. But since she simply participated, questions arise: was it worth making such sacrifices for the sake of this visit?

“Perhaps Romasenko’s relationship with the team will not be ideal. Everything will depend on the results, but the question is: how will she return to the team? She abandoned it, abandoned the country. If she manages to achieve good results, then all questions will be forgotten. In such a situation, emotions can take over, and Arkhipov is not the only one who experiences these feelings. But it is important to remember that these statements can be the result of an emotional state,” Zhurova said in an interview with Match TV.

  • Zhurova spoke about the membership of Russian citizens in the IOC



Athletistic