"Demonstrative disrespect": how Russia reacted to the flag incident at the Women's World Drafts Championship

"The athlete was psychologically depressed"

The incident with the Russian flag, which the organizers of the Women's World Drafts Championship removed from the playing table right during the match with Tamara Tansykkuzhina, caused a huge resonance.

Many in Russia expressed bewilderment and even indignation that match secretary Jacek Pawlicki did not wait for the game to end in order to comply with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) requirement to ban Russian symbols.

This episode was paid attention to by the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.

He noted that the intervention of the organizers in the course of the match ultimately led to the defeat of the reigning world champion.

“This is a very annoying incident, but, as far as I know, the chairman of the corresponding federation has already apologized, so I think that this case should be considered settled,” said Peskov.

“I know that our athlete lost in this match, and, of course, I think that her loss is largely due to this incident.”

According to the vice-president of the Russian Drafts Federation Oleg Dashkova, the incident really influenced Tansykkuzhina, and the organizers had to behave more professionally.

“This is outrageous, this should not happen in tournaments, especially at this level.

We were greatly outraged when we saw this episode.

The athlete was psychologically depressed, a foreign country after all, ”Dashkov said.

His colleague Vladimir Skrabov noted that the execution of the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) by such methods looked extremely disrespectful to the athlete.

According to him, in other sports, the issue was resolved more accurately.

“The destruction of Russian symbols at the match is being broadcast live, and hundreds of viewers of the stream can see it.

You can hide as much as you like with the decision of the CAS about the absence of symbols of the Russian Federation at high-level competitions.

However, this is the first time I see that disrespect for our flag and for our athlete was so demonstrative.

After all, the issue could have been resolved before the start of the match, delicately, not under the cameras and without visible pleasure, ”wrote Skrabov.

Another vice-president of the Russian Drafts Federation, Anatoly Shkodin, said that WADA's demand to immediately remove the symbols right during the game was politically motivated.

He promised that the organization will respond appropriately to the events around Tansykkuzhina.

“The situation is just ugly, I think there will be a statement from the federation.

It is a disgrace to remove the flag right during a match on a WADA call.

Can a protest be filed?

Will be served, we will respond, do not worry.

This affects the player, the psychological blow.

The player was thrown off balance during a serious match.

This is a 100% political act initiated by WADA, ”Shkodin told the Championship.

"Terminate all relations with Poland"

State Duma deputy Vitaly Milonov reacted extremely negatively to the incident in Warsaw.

He called the incident an insult to Russia, followed by the most severe diplomatic consequences.

“I think this is rudeness.

In essence, this is an attack on our flag.

We urgently need to summon the Ambassador of Poland, hand over a note of protest, and end all this by breaking diplomatic ties.

I think this is a serious challenge and an insult that these idiots expressed to all Russians, "Sport-Express quotes Milonov.

Olympic champion Svetlana Zhurova noted that the organizers of the competition had to decide in advance how the CAS decision would be executed.

In her opinion, from both formal and informal points of view, it was impossible to remove the flag before the end of the fight.

“Now any international federation and organizers must be fully prepared for the situation with the fulfillment of all restrictions regarding the performance of Russian athletes. All these nuances should be discussed in advance. After all, they can punish the organizers themselves, so in this situation the person no longer thought about the athlete, that the match was underway, that all this would fall into the camera lenses. They took and removed the flag right in the course of the game. Of course, this is unethical, and in general I am not sure that this is not a violation of the rules - you cannot interfere with the players ... Well, from a purely human point of view, of course, you should have waited until the end of the meeting, ”Zhurova said.

Former boxer and State Duma deputy Nikolai Valuev believes that the incident was the result of bad Russian-Polish relations. He also noted that WADA's requirements in themselves are humiliating for Russian athletes.

“These are all already unpleasant particulars due to what happened before. And these extremes are very ugly! There is an order from WADA, and then the question arises: will or will not want to humiliate Russian athletes, those who benefit from it. I am also overwhelmed with emotions, but there are emotions, and there are rules that must be followed, even though they are temporary. If they want to bite you, then in every possible way you should not allow this. In this case, the organizers' oversight was eliminated in the most ugly way, and even in public! The organizers had the formal right to do this. Our relations with Poland are below the floor. At every moment, it is necessary to do everything necessary so that there is no such opportunity to humiliate us "- said Valuev.

Not only politicians and sports functionaries, but also representatives of Russian show business drew attention to the scandal during the World Drafts Championship.

Actor Mikhail Galustyan reacted very emotionally to the actions of the person who removed the flag from the table.

“It is very painful to look at this!

It hurts, it is unpleasant and fists clench from such an attitude towards my Motherland, towards my flag, towards our athletes.

How long will we endure all this?

How long will they wipe their feet about us?

Enough already?

If you spit in Russia, it will disappear.

If Russia spits, the whole world will choke.

It's just some kind of disgusting, ”wrote Galustyan on his Instagram.

His colleague Gosha Kutsenko also expressed outrage at what Pavlitsky did during the match, comparing his actions to theft.

“In Poland, a local sportswoman Natalia Sadovskaya was playing checkers with our Tamara Tansykkuzhina for the fourth day. And then suddenly an elderly man (apparently, finally, having made out the situation) crept up and neatly took away our tricolor - as if he had stolen a bun from the sideboard. Former President of the European Drafts Federation Jacek Pawlicki explained that by order of the WADA President, any mention of Russia is now haraam and the flag must be removed immediately, otherwise our draftsmen will also be expelled from everywhere. What, and then doping? " - Kutsenko asked his subscribers.