World champion and Olympic medalist in Vancouver in cross-country skiing Alexei Petukhov told that the policy of European countries excludes a normal attitude towards Russian athletes, calling what is happening a “global conspiracy”.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended in February 2022 that sports federations prevent Russians and Belarusians from participating in international competitions due to the situation in Ukraine. Most federations have followed these recommendations. On Wednesday, the IOC said it would consider admitting to international competitions neutral Russian and Belarusian athletes who do not actively support the special military operation (SVO).
– Will Norwegian Klebo’s endless victories spur interest in cross-country skiing?
– There is such a possibility. Europeans generally go crazy, for them the truth is no longer true, they only follow their own interests. But I saw on social networks a photograph of a poster with Sasha Bolshunov in one of the shops in Livigno. The Italians were not afraid to endure. This means that reasonable people have remained in Europe who want the Russians back and do not tie it to politics. The athletes, in principle, are not protected from all this, they are hostages of the world processes, not being responsible for it. Isolation hurts everyone, but it won’t last long, in my opinion, otherwise cross-country skiing as a sport and object of interest will suffer.
– Is the isolation of Russians in sport linked to the fact that most of them are financed by the state? With the independence of the budget, it would be easier to obtain a neutral status.
– I do not agree. An athlete cannot be isolated from everything that is happening around him. He communicates with the coach, the one with the president of the federation, and the president of the federation, conditionally, with senior government officials. The Minister of Sports is involved in awarding the winners – what is their fault here? Or do you need to hide links, including funding, to be allowed to participate in international competitions? This is wrong, because the country invests in us for this, so that we defend its honor abroad, help develop children’s sport and contribute to the health of the nation. Why abandon these goals?
Moreover, European policy excludes a different attitude towards Russian athletes, there is a global conspiracy. Most Europeans perceive us normally, but forced smiles were felt before, but it was hard to believe that the anger and hatred were so deeply rooted. Now it is clear where it all comes from. Probably since the Great Patriotic War, in which we won, but did not finish off part of the Nazis. Now it manifests with renewed vigor, more and more each month. The only source of hatred is high-ranking politicians. And ordinary people in Europe seem to see the light and are beginning to understand: Russia is not the aggressor, the athletes are not the culprits. It is high time to conclude that world sport will only benefit from the participation of Russians. But colleagues, if you can call them that, look at the issue differently, Petukhov told .
Petukhov at the 2010 Olympics won bronze in the team sprint. Also in this discipline, he has the gold of the 2013 World Cup and the silver of the 2015 World Cup.
On February 4-5, Luzhniki will host Race of the Stars with the participation of skiers and biathletes. On February 4, at 1:00 p.m. Moscow time, the ski race will start, on February 5, at 1:00 p.m., biathletes will start. Watch live broadcasts on the federal channel and thematic channels of the holding, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source : MatchTV
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