Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports Dmitry Svishchev admits banning Australian Open organizers from coming to the stands with Russian and Belarusian flags may be illegal.
– This was done, one might say, on defamation, a completely unreasonable request of the Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia. Of course, it’s very disappointing that the tournament representatives still couldn’t resist the pressure. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with Russian fans with flags coming to support their idols. Perhaps they were relatives of the athletes themselves. We do not know. Moreover, in the grid they appear precisely as representatives of Russia, and not as neutral athletes.
I don’t think our fans violated anything. Unfortunately, the Russophobic society has overwhelmed the media, especially sports. The organizers try to minimize the risks, which is why they have decided not to allow spectators carrying Russian flags in the stands. In my view, this is unreasonable to say the least. Or maybe it’s prohibited by law,” the MP added,” Svishchev said in an interview with RT.
Russian flags were seen in the first-round match between Ukrainian Ekaterina Beindl and Russian Kamilla Rakhimova, as well as in the duel between Daniil Medvedev and American Marcos Giron.
TR
Source : MatchTV
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