Russian Chess Federation (RFC) Vice President Sergei Smagin spoke about the handshake of Ukrainian grandmaster Yuri Kuzubov with Russian Vladislav Artemyev before and after the match in the 7th round of the Grand Swiss tournament. In a statement to socialbites.ca, Smagin called this a normal occurrence, called the ban on Ukrainian athletes shaking hands with Russians stupid, and stated that athletes in Ukraine are under pressure.
“How would a normal person feel about this? Of course it’s positive. All these stupid bans are nothing, and I am sure that all athletes, including Ukrainians, are focused primarily on human qualities. Of course, if they are asked to perform a formality by holding a knife to their throat, they will do so.
By the way, Kuzubov was born in Smolensk, then moved to Kramatorsk. How did the chess player progress? A good chess player, he won the game yesterday in good style. I do not understand these bans and I hope that in the future both Ukrainian and Russian athletes will not engage in such nonsense as refusing to shake hands.
We understand that many athletes in Ukraine are under great pressure. You always have to look individually. Someone can post guidance, someone unfortunately has to follow some stupid principles. In any case, the situation is completely absurd. What’s stopping you from shaking hands, acknowledging that there’s an athlete just like you on the other side? I fundamentally don’t understand this, especially as a former athlete. Yes, probably the discussion of such topics attracts the attention of journalists and politicians. However, when we evaluate the situation objectively, we understand that all this is highly politicized. I hope this situation will gradually disappear, especially since there are many more healthy people,” Smagin said.
Kuzubov beat Artemyev by playing with white. The top two Greater Switzerland participants will earn the right to compete in the Candidates Tournament.
Previously recognizedThis threatens the players of the Ukrainian club for refusing to shake hands with a Russian in the Champions League.