The decision of the World Anti-Doping Agency to impose sanctions against Russia will directly affect the fate of many Russian athletes. Now, some of them may not be allowed to participate in the Olympic Games and World Championships, while the rest will have to play under a neutral flag.

Three-time world champion in high jump, Maria Lasitskene sharply reacted to the decision of WADA, saying that the country's sports leadership did not take the necessary steps to prevent this. However, she ruled out the possibility of speaking in another country.

“I didn’t doubt such an outcome, I didn’t believe in stories that everything would be fine. What happened today is a shame. I plan to continue to speak and fight. I did not intend to change citizenship and do not plan to do this. I will prove in the sector that Russian athletes are alive, even in a neutral status. I have done this all the past years. The only embarrassing thing is that the athletes are alone in their struggle and the leaders of our sport all this time protect us only in words, ”Lasickene wrote on Instagram.

Evgeni Kuznetsov, silver medalist of the Olympic Games in diving, is also ready to perform under the neutral flag. This was announced by TASS his personal trainer Valentina Reshetnyak.

“So many years have been devoted to the sport, so much health has been spent. We already spoke with him on this subject: if there is such a decision, then he agrees to fly under a neutral flag, ”the specialist noted.

At the same time, the Russian national boxing team does not intend, following the instructions of WADA, to play under a neutral flag. This was told by RT head coach Viktor Farkhutdinov.

“We are not going to fly under a neutral flag, we want to represent our country, it is important for us to play the Russian anthem and raise the Russian flag. We want to win Olympic medals, but we want to do it for our country. All our guys agree with this, everyone knows the words of the hymn. Speaking for Russia is much more important for us than anything else, ”said the coach.

Five-time Olympic synchronized swimming champion Svetlana Romashina is confident that WADA sanctions should not affect her and her teammates, so they continue to prepare for the Games in Tokyo.

“Probably, to some extent, this decision was expected. We hoped for the best, but prepared for the worst, in fact, it happened. However, we do not lose optimism. All of the above does not apply to pure athletes. We continue to train, we will fight for our rights, for our trip to the Olympics, which we should have. In our attitude towards preparation, nothing has changed. We continue to train, ”said Romashina RIA Novosti.

Olympic judo champion Hassan Halmurzaev has not yet decided for himself which flag to play next. He expects the WADA decision to be reviewed.

“This is sad news for us, but we hope that this decision will be reviewed, there is still time. And whether we athletes will play under a neutral flag or not, I personally cannot answer for myself so far. This issue will be resolved at the level of the coaching staff, the judo federation and the Ministry of Sports of Russia, ”the judoka said.

Well-known hockey player Alexander Ovechkin said he was upset because of how WADA sanctions would affect other athletes from Russia.

“It's always unpleasant to hear about this. I hope all be fine. We still have a lot of time before the Olympics to decide what to do, what is best to do. Obviously, this is sad news, but I hope to get more information later. I’m upset because of people who worked hard for this moment, but cannot be there, ”journalist Samantha Pell quoted Ovechkin on Twitter.

Olympic champion in biathlon Anton Shipulin recalled how he was not allowed in a similar situation before the Games in Pyeongchang in 2018. He expressed the hope that now pure athletes will have a chance to defend their right to compete.

“The WADA decision, unfortunately, was not unexpected. This is a huge blow to our sport, which is now facing very difficult times. In the circumstances, I am most concerned about the fate of pure athletes, who will have to prove their right to compete in international competitions not only in stadiums, but also in the offices of sports functionaries. I really hope that all possible steps will be taken in order to protect the athletes. However, we all remember how it was before the 2018 Games - no one from the IOC explained anything to us and in fact did not give a chance to defend ourselves. We have time to appeal. I understand that there are few chances, but you need to fight for your flag to the end, ”Shipulin said on Instagram.

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Posted by Anton Shipulin (@anton_shipulin) Dec 9, 2019 @ 7:04 am PST

In turn, the former gymnast, two-time bronze medalist of the Olympic Games, Anton Golotsutskov, is sure that Russian athletes will still be recognized, even if they will be flying under a neutral flag.

“Our athletes will still perform at all international competitions. If it is a neutral flag, it does not mean anything. But the whole world knows that an athlete who stands on a pedestal under a neutral flag is an athlete from Russia. We are still stronger than all this dirt. We will be higher! Guys, we are with you! ”- wrote Golotsutskov on Instagram.

Two-time world volleyball champion Lyubov Sokolova expressed deep disappointment with the WADA decision. According to her, it will leave a significant part of people employed in the sports sector without work.

“This is horror, great frustration and misfortune. Not only for the athlete who is preparing, but also for the organizers. Half of the people were left without work. For coaches and players, for marketing and promoting volleyball in general, this is a tragedy. I can’t even imagine what will happen next, what needs to be changed and corrected. While devastation and sadness in the soul. As for performances under a neutral flag, there is a dual situation. Some athletes believe that it is better not to speak at all than to speak under the white flag. Others believe that it is better at least somehow, and prove that we are from Russia. Everyone here speaks for itself, ”said Sokolova.

Irina Slutskaya, a two-time Olympic figure skating winner, fears that now Russian athletes will be overly scrutinized for doping, which will affect their psychological state, since such an attitude will make them feel guilty for imperfect misconduct.

“This is incredibly sad and just humanly offensive. And now all of our clean guys will be dragged through checks and tests. It is not even worth saying that it is extremely difficult precisely psychologically. Just imagine that you are suspected of committing a crime, and you clearly know that you have not done anything wrong, but nevertheless you must go through all the procedures under the rules. Now multiply all this by the age of those who must undergo these procedures. I sincerely do not understand why the sports leadership robs our young people of competitions, and this is not just competition - it is a dream! Why, because of some unscrupulous and unclean athletes, those who went to the Olympics all their lives should suffer, and even don’t know such a word - “doping”. And now we have to prove that our 15-year-old athletes - consider the children - are clean, ”the world champion wrote on Instagram.

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Publication by Irina Slutskaya / @ Irina Slutskaya (@slutskayaofficial) Dec 9, 2019 at 3:55 am PST

Well-known figure skating coach Alexei Mishin suggested holding an alternative Olympics, where Russian athletes could perform under their own flag.

“If the arbitration is not successful, then we need to think not about what happened, but about what will happen. We must hold our own competitions, which are an alternative to the Olympic Games. In place of sports leaders, I’d think about how we can create an environment that will support our sport in this difficult time. I see the need for a wide forum with the involvement of all groups of our society that are related to sports. Russia is a sports nation, so the forum should be wide, ”the titled specialist said.