“You don’t need to humiliate yourself”: in the Russian Federation they were outraged by Bach’s call to allow Russians who do not support SVO to tournaments

Recently, the issue of the potential return of Russian athletes to the international arena has been increasingly discussed in the world sports community.

The day before, the International Ice Hockey Federation approved the principles for the restoration of national teams, and the International Olympic Committee also spoke about giving athletes the opportunity to compete in championships.

But if the decision of the IIHF was received with enthusiasm, then the statement of the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, caused a negative reaction.

In Russia, they were extremely dissatisfied with the words of the functionary, which he said in an interview with the Italian edition of Corriere della Sera.

Bach touched upon the issue of allowing Russians to compete and noted that, in general, the IOC is ready to provide them with the opportunity to compete with the strongest.

True, they only talk about those who do not support the conduct of the Special Military Operation in Ukraine.

“We are talking about the fact that athletes with a Russian passport who do not support the CBO take part in competitions again.

We need to think about the future... Let me explain: it is not necessarily about Russia actually returning.

On the other hand, this is our dilemma - this situation was not provoked by Russian athletes, ”said Bach.

According to him, the International Olympic Committee needs to think about how to give everyone the right to compete in tournaments.

“We also need to consider, study and follow up on how and when we can carry out our mission again so that everyone returns again, in whatever format it may be.

We must be committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to play sports, ”concluded the head of the IOC.

Thus, Bach actually called on Russian athletes to publicly express disagreement with the position of the state for the sake of admission to the championships.

And these statements of the President of the IOC could not go unnoticed.

The press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, who called this call negative, voiced his position on this issue.

“Because sport is again mixed with politics,” RBC quoted Peskov as saying.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko commented on this topic.

According to him, the athletes are patriots and “they don’t sell their Motherland” for the sake of international tournaments.

According to him, in recent years they have repeatedly experienced prejudice from foreign organizations, and their removal was the climax.

“What have our opponents achieved?

They have deprived world sports of objectivity, healthy competition and entertainment… Russia, in turn, creates new formats of competitions with the participation of our athletes and athletes from friendly countries - the CIS, SCO, BRICS.

Competitive activity will be quickly restored, and for everyone who decides to join us, the doors are open, ”TASS quoted Chernyshenko as saying.

At the moment, we are talking exclusively about performances at championships under a neutral flag, as recalled by the President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Stanislav Pozdnyakov.

According to him, the “artificially created recommendation of the IOC Executive Committee” forces domestic athletes to violate not only the laws of their country, but also the Olympic Charter.

“From today’s statement by IOC President Thomas Bach, we can conclude that Russian athletes are invited to exchange their nationality and civic position for the humiliating neutral status of performing on the international arena ... The Russian Olympic Committee, as before, insists that sport should, regardless of circumstances, stay out of politics, and it is unacceptable to use athletes as hostages in the interests of satisfying the requests of certain geopolitical forces, ”Pozdnyakov emphasized.

In turn, the head of the All-Russian Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics (VFHG), Irina Viner, admitted that she did not see new information in Bach's comments.

According to her, the famous conductor Valery Gergiev was also offered to officially distance himself from the CVO in order to hold concerts abroad.

“Now, from everyone who wants to perform there in the theater, with a concert, they take such a statement ... My athletes will never do this in their lives, because they paint their nails in the colors of the Russian flag when they are small, at the age of six”, Wiener said.

Honored coach of Russia in figure skating Tatyana Tarasova agreed that all domestic athletes are patriots, and considered Bach's calls absurd.

“Thomas Bach, when he talks about it, thinks least of all.

This is just for the sake of a red word.

We live like this, I don’t know, maybe someone puts himself forward to the European and World Championships, but we represent our country, so I don’t quite understand how we are without it?

Strange logic - athletes must betray their country, become good for the IOC.

The IOC shouldn't touch them at all!"

- says Tarasova.

As Russian grandmaster Sergey Karyakin said, Bach's demands violate the basic principle that "sport should be out of politics."

At the same time, the chess player noted that he was ready to think about participating in international competitions, but without the head of the IOC and its conditions.

“Unfortunately, sport has become an instrument of pressure from the West on our state, with this they only dishonor themselves.

I believe that from him ( Bach

) you should not expect a gesture of goodwill to our athletes, ”Karyakin emphasized.

Two-time Olympic figure skating champion Evgeni Plushenko also considered the IOC's requirements unrealistic and stressed that both he and his wards would not comply with them.

But he did not speak for all his colleagues.

“I do not rule out that one of the Russian athletes will follow this.

We have such.

But in this case, I do not see then their presence in our country.

We hope that this conflict will soon be resolved.

And once again I say that I support our president, our leadership, our soldiers, officers who really stand up for our future.

Only stupid people do not understand what is happening at all and what can happen in the future,” Plushenko said.

The famous figure skater Maxim Maxaim Trankov also did not rule out that some athletes may follow Bach's recommendations and declare a negative attitude towards the special operation in order to obtain admission to the competition.

“I think that those who do not support the special operation, for the sake of competition, can agree to such conditions.

There are athletes who have already spoken out, for example, the same tennis players, ”recalled the two-time Olympic champion.

Tatyana Pokrovskaya, the coach of the national synchronized swimming team, also disagreed with Bach's position on this issue and called it too high a price to pass to the championships.

In turn, the three-time gold medalist of the Games Anfisa Reztsova believes that in this way the IOC is trying to “buy” athletes.

“This is a fundamentally wrong statement.

Again we are humiliated, again we must worship Bach... We are not for sale!

We need to defend our positions strongly and honestly.

We are the strongest!

You don't have to humiliate yourself in front of them.

This is impossible, ”Sport-Express quotes Reztsova.