A well-known Russian coach who leads the Makhachkala Dynamo football club and serves on the technical committee of the Russian Football Union has stated that Elena Isinbayeva, a two-time Olympic pole vault champion, will keep working with the athlete commission of the International Olympic Committee. The expert noted to socialbites.ca that this assessment does not weigh the recent high-profile remarks by the athlete against broader considerations.
“Is it fair for Isinbayeva to speak for Russian athletes at the international level? It seems not. The status she holds appears largely fixed, and attempting to change that would be unfair,” Gadzhiev commented.
On July 17, Isinbayeva announced that her awards and a military rank within the CSKA sports community had been officially recognized, and in September she returned to duties at the International Olympic Committee. Those remarks sparked wide discussion and drew sharp criticism. In Makhachkala, the stadium named after the city’s native figure had its former title restored as Trud in response to the controversy.
Earlier in February 2023, Isinbayeva, then holding the rank of major in the Russian army, was placed on Ukraine’s 50-year sanctions list.
In August, World Athletics did not include Isinbayeva among its list of the most influential athletes for the year.
Former IOC member Tarpishchev has repeatedly urged restraint and not to pursue further commentary on Isinbayeva’s role.