“To combat hypocrisy in weightlifting”: Agapitov proposed to allow Russians to compete in an online format

Russian officials are looking for all sorts of ways to return athletes to international competitions.

So far, everything rests on the position of the International Olympic Committee, which, immediately after the start of the CBO, recommended that the federations not allow domestic athletes to start.

At the same time, this decision was explained, first of all, by the inability to ensure security at tournaments where representatives of the conflicting countries would simultaneously perform.

However, as it turned out, the issue can be solved quite easily.

The President of the Russian Weightlifting Federation Maxim Agapitov proposed to allow domestic athletes to compete online.

At the same time, the head of the FTAR stressed that earlier, during the pandemic, tournaments in this format had already been held, and there is the necessary experience for this.

“In order to combat hypocrisy in weightlifting, I would like to raise an issue related to the participation of Russian weightlifters in international competitions.

It was the IOC that recommended to all international federations not to allow Russian athletes to participate in any international competitions, referring to the impossibility of ensuring the safety of participants.

At the same time, the IOC reaffirmed its commitment to fair competition for all without discrimination of any kind.

Our favorite weightlifting has a huge advantage over many other Olympic sports - weightlifters do not have contact with each other, like, say, in boxing or judo.

They can compete independently of each other while providing the same conditions (barbells, disks, judges, online video surveillance, etc.), as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic, ”TASS quoted Agapitov as saying.

As the specialist noted, the performance of the Russians will remotely resolve the issue of security.

Then no one will have to worry about organizing events.

“Such a system would allow weightlifters from Russia to compete online with other athletes around the world, fulfilling all the requirements of any international competition.

At the same time, the recommendations of the IOC to ensure the safety of each participant in the competition will be followed,” Agapitov added.

Unlike other sports, the IWF did run tournaments online.

Moreover, a fairly high level.

In 2020, the World Youth Championship took place virtually.

As Aleksey Bezborodov, vice-president of the Moscow Weightlifting Federation, said, even various formats were tried, although they were inferior in entertainment to full-fledged starts.

“During the pandemic, online tournaments were held several times.

And completely different status.

It looked like this: each athlete had a place where he performs.

The camera was installed there.

And then the competitions went on on a common platform, as we, in principle, are accustomed to seeing.

One athlete was called, he went out and lifted a projectile of a certain weight.

Then the second one was called, and the camera switched to it.

Was it spectacular?

Probably not.

It was just such a necessity at the time.

Although the very essence of the competition, in principle, was preserved.

Athletes lifted the bar and the one who took more weight won.

The online format hardly somehow influenced the final result, ”explained RT Bezborodov.

True, the athletes themselves are not particularly enthusiastic about such events.

Olympic champion, honored coach of Russia David Rigert believes that it is psychologically difficult for athletes to tune in to them.

“Now is not a pandemic.

And I personally don't like online tournaments.

I don't understand them.

The guys will not have courage when performing.

There will be a fight in absentia.

But the federation in this case is more visible.

I just express my opinion, ”the specialist said in an interview with RT.

However, according to Bezborodov, behind this initiative of Agapitov, rather, there is a desire to prove that the removal of Russians from competitions is not at all caused by a desire to protect athletes.

“This is more of an attempt to force the international federation to admit that the exclusion from tournaments is not related to security.

Get the real reasons out.

That's all.

It is unlikely that we really expect to take and hold such a start.

Although a mixed format is possible.

Of course, anything can happen.

The IWF has long been talking about the need for change.

Maybe, under this pretext, they will try to enter online, ”added the interlocutor of RT.