“Our sport was covered with an iron dome”: Olympic champion Htei on the non-admission of volleyball players to qualify for the 2024 Games

Russia suffers the first official losses in the qualifying tournaments for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

On Thursday it became known that the International Volleyball Federation did not allow domestic teams to qualify.

However, this does not mean that Russia will miss the Games themselves.

Formally, the chances of passing the selection are still preserved.

Firstly, this can happen if the Russians' suspension from international tournaments is lifted before the start of qualification, that is, before September 2023.

Then the FIVB may revise the list of participants.

If this does not happen, then in June 2024 five more trips to Paris will be distributed according to the rating.

But in this case, they will apply the geographical principle: first of all, teams from those continents on which by that time no team will have passed the qualifying sieve will receive quotas.

According to the Olympic champion of the Games in London Taras Khtey, one should not be surprised at the absence of the Russian national teams in the list of participants in the Paris qualification, based on the latest trends in world sports.

- This was expected, since all our sports were covered with an iron dome.

Not only professional athletes are suffering, but also mass sports, since in those regions that are close to the NWO, no events are now held.

But the most important thing is that we are suffering big losses in international experience, which is extremely important for elite sport.

Now there is a real lack of performances, rivalry with high-class teams at top-level competitions: continental and world championships, as well as the Olympic Games.

But domestic championships are well developed in our country, and not only in volleyball, but also in other sports such as hockey, basketball, football, and this, in my opinion, will be enough to maintain a decent level of skill.

The main thing is that this whole situation should not drag on for years and decades, but be resolved as soon as possible.

I would like to hope that everything will get better soon and the athletes who are now ready to show high results for the country will not miss their sports era.

- Do you communicate with the guys from the national teams, how do they experience these events?

- Everyone treats with understanding, do not give up and train, play.

They understand that sooner or later everything will return to normal, and you need to be prepared for this.

It is important to find a replacement for international games and keep yourself in good shape, in good shape.

In this sense, everything is going well.

In the summer there was a Spartakiad, which was very useful for the players, in September there were training camps for national teams.

- What do you think, is it still worth hoping that by September next year the position of the FIVB will change or in 2024 Russia will qualify for the Games due to the rating?

- I would say that this is such an "opportunity" in quotation marks.

Everyone understands that the solution can be anything.

You can think of whatever you want.

Recall at least the situation with the World Cup, which was supposed to be held in Russia.

The entire infrastructure was ready, the country was waiting for such a high-profile sporting event, but it was taken away from us ... Therefore, I don’t presume to guess what will happen, I’ll just hope for the best. 

- If we consider the most unfavorable option, the Games without Russia are the Games at all?

- Of course not.

Russia has always graced any international level competition in many sports, both in team and individual.

If we talk about volleyball, then, for sure, the French, and Italians, and Bulgarians would prefer to compete with all the strongest.

And in the absence of Russian teams on the gold medal of the Olympics, there will be a certain touch of understatement.

After all, everyone will perfectly understand that there was no main contender for victory.

— And what do foreign players and experts think about this?

— I communicate with people regularly.

They do not understand why sport is mixed with politics, why the whole country is excluded from all competitions.

They are perplexed, but they can do nothing.

We all perfectly understand where the legs grow from, that the decisions of sports federations are dictated by the West.

But I am sure that we will still have glorious sports times, there will still be medals.

I am convinced of this, because there are a lot of talented athletes in the country and those who can pass on their experience to them.

We are ready to work with both the present and the future of our country.

We have everything to return and resume our glorious traditions and victories.

It will take some time, and we will restore everything.