Olympic ice dance champion Natalya Bestemyanova called Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda’s decision to deprive figure skaters Margarita Drobyazko and Povilas Vanagas of state awards a strange and stupid act, and also added that in Lithuania he there is no show of such a level as in Russia.
On August 10, the President of Lithuania signed a decree by which Drobyazko and Vanagas were excluded from the list of holders of the Order of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas, 5th degree. Nauseda said that all the merits of Drobyazko and Vanagas for the country were nullified by the decision to perform in Tatiana Navka’s show in Sochi.
— What happened surprised and raised many questions. Why should professional sport be at the forefront of politics? We’ve fought our whole lives to make sure that’s not the case. Therefore, depriving Drobyazko and Vanagas of state awards is a strange and stupid act on the part of the Lithuanian authorities. I really sympathize with the guys. It remains only to wait, hope and believe, – said Bestemyanova RT.
– I know that Drobyazko and Vanagas mostly live in the Moscow region, since this is their main place of work. I’m sure they would like to ride in Lithuania, but they don’t have such an opportunity,” added Bestemyanova.
Drobyazko and Vanagas were presented for the State Prize in 2000. A dancing couple from Lithuania are bronze medalists at the World Championships and double bronze medalists at the European Championships.
TR
Source : MatchTV
I am William Jackson and I have a passion for sports journalism. With over 3 years of experience in the industry, I have worked in a variety of roles to improve the quality and accuracy of sports news coverage. As an author at Athletistic, I specialize in covering football news and providing comprehensive analysis for fans around the world.
