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“There are quite a lot of opinions about the Games in France, some positive, some negative.
“My personal position is that the Olympics without the participation of the Russian Olympic team with the best athletes in the world in a number of disciplines cannot be called either complete or fair.”
That’s Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov, speaking on Wednesday about the future of Russian athletes in the Games and the continuing suspension of the ROC by the International Olympic Committee.
There were only 15 Russian athletes at the Paris Games, competing as “neutrals,” the smallest Russian or Soviet presence in the Games since London 1908.
Added Pozdnyakov:
“Unfortunately, the political order has triumphed in the International Olympic Committee over honest sporting principles and the spirit of Olympism as a unique phenomenon uniting countries and peoples. Therefore, for us, this Paris page is empty, without text, and it has been turned over.”
Asked about the ROC’s stance now that the Paris Games are concluded, he expressed some hope for the future:
“At the moment, the task of the ROC is to maintain its position and not to worsen the situation.
“As you know, the ROC membership is temporarily suspended, and this situation gives both sides the opportunity not to make hasty moves and prepare for a full restoration of relations.
“Under the current circumstances, I am satisfied with the current level of relations, it is informal, but the experience that our organization has in overcoming crises with colleagues will allow us to return to the right trajectory in a short time.”
However, that does not mean that Russian will be back for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina:
“The 2026 Olympic Games? As you know, there will be a number of changes in the International Olympic Committee, so it is difficult to assess Milan’s prospects now.
“We are looking at the situation objectively and setting real tasks and goals that are related to the Youth Olympic Games in Senegal in 2026 and the 2028 Olympic Games.”
Further to the changes in the IOC and the forthcoming election of a new president, Pozdnyakov restated his long-time theme of collusion against Russia:
“Unfortunately, both [President Thomas] Bach himself and the IOC are hostages of the economic model that is being implemented in practice.
“The overwhelming majority of his sponsors are transatlantic corporations, usually with Western participation, which put pressure on the IOC. He was unable to overcome political pressure, no matter how hard he tried, so it is quite difficult to say whether Bach’s successor will be better or worse.”
One candidate that Russia would prefer not to see elected is Britain’s two-time Olympic 1,500 m champ Sebastian Coe, head of World Athletics, whose federation has slammed the door on Russian participation for years, first due to the Russian doping scandal and now over the invasion of Ukraine.
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