Though the Paris Games are quickly approaching, Russian Diving Federation President Stanislav Druzhinin is looking beyond them to LA 2028. However, Druzhinin told TASS, a Russian news agency, that he does not see a path to his athletes participation in 2028.
“My personal opinion is that we are unlikely to go to the Olympics in Los Angeles. We’ll see, but under the current conditions there can’t even be a conversation about a trip. They violate the sporting principle and are a manifestation of discrimination. There is absolutely no point in going.”
Druzhinin also stated that his athletes will not attend the Paris Olympic Games because the majority of them are a part of Dynamo and CSKA sport clubs, which are currently banned for being affiliated with “security agencies.” These connections would likely prohibit them from competing as neutrals. And even if they were granted neutral status, Druzhinin is skeptical about their treatment.
“The question is how they will be treated there,” Druzhinin said to the press. “Will they feel like outcasts, sitting apart from everyone and not communicating with anyone? In my understanding, they will. International competitions have turned into politics, unfriendly countries are trying to prove something, infringing on the rights of our athletes, who just want to perform on equal terms with others.”
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) appealed its indefinite suspension by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on January 26th. The ROC was suspended after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 court. CAS upheld the IOC policy on the basis of Russia absorbing 22 sports federations–including swimming–in its illegally annexed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) as part of an effort to “accelerate the integration of new regions into Russian sports life” in June 2023.
The IOC specified that its sanctions will not impact Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to compete as individual neutrals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, as long as they have not supported the war. Thus, Russia’s CAS appeal should not have any bearing on Olympic inclusion this summer. Druzhinin has criticized this decision before, saying the rules will have the effect of isolating Russian athletes and making them feel like “outcasts.”
In January, Russian Olympic medalist Ivan Girev was granted neutral status for the 2024 World Championships, though ultimately he was not entered into the meet.
Obviously Ivan Girev (not Grinev) was granted neutral status
Under Putin, Russia is a terrorist organization running a gas station.
Is def a hot take and is going to get downvotes, but unless the Russian athletes have explicitly come out saying they support the war, I have sympathy for them. Not their fault their government sucks. Just let them compete. I understand the ban but these athletes have nothing to do with Ukraine and were unfortunately born inside the wrong made-up borders that we have instated on the world. Their choice if they want to identify themselves with it (screw you Rylov), but if they don’t, I think we should have sympathy for them, because it is a horrible situation they’ve fallen into. Imagine being Chikunova and being the WR holder by a longshot and barely being old enough to… Read more »
this is a hot take, but not an unreasonable one. I don’t think that Russian athletes aren’t allowed to compete because of the actions of its government, at least not directly. This isn’t an argument that is used to bar Russians from competition.
I think it is closer to this: on the world stage, there is an assumption of fair play, which may include things like fair access to training facilities and a general environment in which athletes can peacefully train. Regardless of what a particular Russian athlete may feel about the war, when they compete against Ukrainian athletes, this fairness is thrown out of the window due to the war. Russians bombed Ukraine’s training facilities, appropriated them for… Read more »
Tremendous shame for the athletes effected, especially those who don’t support the war in Ukraine.
Oh no.
Anyway..
List of Russian swimmers that support the war, according to Ukraine
https://mms.gov.ua/russian-and-belarusian-athletes-who-support-the-war-in-ukraine/swimming
All men…
Swimming, yes, but many big names listed in other mainstream Olympic sports are women
Ok. Your choice. And?
A Russian using the term “unfriendly countries”