Famous Russian tennis player, Sydney 2000 Olympic champion, former first racket of the world Yevgeny Kafelnikov talked about the possible participation of Russians and Belarusians in the Olympic Games with neutral status. He emphasized that even in such conditions, he considered it necessary for their performance in the tournament. Kafelnikov also pointed out that many of those who disagree are not competent in the field of sports.
“I don’t want to give importance to the opinions of people who are absolutely incompetent in sports. This is probably the biggest problem in our country: there are people in various fields, in this or that position, who have nothing to do with this activity – and in sports as well. And when we see people on TV screens who don’t know what’s going on, they say it’s impossible. [выступать под нейтральным флагом] They don’t understand the whole point. And of course I think our Russian and Belarusian fans should be delighted with their performance. Therefore, I deeply believe that you should go even in a neutral situation. This is our reality, which, unfortunately, will probably last more than a year. And the IOC is well aware of this. You have to go, you have to perform, and I hope everything will be fine – I am more than confident that our athletes in a neutral state will be allowed, ” Kafelnikov told socialbites.ca.
Recall that at the end of February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made a call to international sports federations and recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes not be allowed to participate in any competitions. After that, various international sports organizations began to exclude the Russians from the competition. According to IOC President Thomas Bach, the suspension period is still open.
On January 25, 2023, the IOC announced that it was considering the possibility of allowing Russian athletes who did not support the conduct of a special operation on the territory of Ukraine to participate in international competitions in a neutral status. In addition, Western countries demanded clarification for the determination of a neutral status for the Russians. The definitive list of necessary requirements has not yet been established and disclosed.
On March 23, Bach made another statement regarding the Russian participation in the 2024 Olympic Games. He believes that such an opportunity should be given to them and urged not to treat athletes from Russia as carriers of collective guilt.
formerly Kafelnikov declarationThat the IOC will do everything for the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the Olympics.