Three-time Olympic champion Alexander Bolshunov said he received a message from a Norwegian skier. Transmits words TASS.
“Most interestingly, an athlete from the Norwegian national team wrote to me this week, ‘Come to us, we miss you.’ He said that negative thoughts need to be reversed and what is going on should be put aside so that sport remains a sport.
These words touched me. This shows that there are savvy athletes who believe that the best should compete with the best,” said Bolshunov.
It should be recalled that the issue of admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions was discussed at the meeting of the IOC Executive Committee on March 28.
The organization recommended that the Russians be allowed to remain in a neutral status if the athletes did not actively support the war. Athletes representing law enforcement and armed forces will not be allowed to compete.
Bolshunov is a two-time winner of the World Cup and winner of the Tour de Ski. At the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, the Russian won five medals, three of which were gold. He was the standard bearer of the Russian team at the closing ceremony of the games.
Former IOC president Thomas Bach judicial The question of Bolshunov’s participation in international tournaments is difficult.