Skip to main content

'We will only compete under the Russian flag'

By

As background, it is possible that the Russian gymnastics team may be affected by an IOC ban of all Russian sports, because of evidence of state-sponsored doping.  But gymnastics, along with ten other sports, is not mentioned in the McLaren Report into this evidence.  Gymnastics' governing body, the FIG, has made public that it has clean tests for all of the gymnasts.  It is hoped that the IOC will take a decision to allow clean sports to participate in the Games.  It has been mooted that this might be under a neutral, Olympic flag.  Since the CAS ruling this morning that the blanket ban imposed by the IAAF on Russian athletics is lawful, it is considered less likely that exemptions to the ban will be policed on an individual athlete basis.

TASS has published some brief statements about this -
 
- For me it is crucial to act under the Russian flag. I was born here and I will defend it, - said the captain of the men's gymnastics team Nikolai Kuksenkov
 
- We can't really talk about this, but we will be very upset if the wrong decision is taken.  At the same time, we are optimistic and believe that good sense will prevail in the IOC.  But it will be hard for us to compete under another flag, we do not want to compete under the IOC flag, said the coach.
 
- We need to close our eyes to these things and just do our job.  Despite all the difficulties, we need to overcome it and we will be rewarded. We will only compete for Russia, - said Aliya Mustafina, captain of the women's team artistic gymnastics.
 
Source: tass.ru/sport/3474804

In another TASS interview, Aliya has said - 

The hype around the team will not affect my mood because I have not read the news.  My main goal is to help the team.  I have not looked at the internet.  I have a goal simply to fight to the end, if we are finally allowed to be there.  If not - I will be very upset, but I still need to work to the final moment..

http://tass.ru/sport/3475083



Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. Anonymous21 July 2016 at 14:50

    Aliya interview from today http://tass.ru/sport/3475083

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous21 July 2016 at 14:57

    Hail Aliya, a pro more than any of the jar-heads involved in this drama. Honestly, she should handle the PR and Communication of the Russian Gymnastics Teams (MAG and WAG), kudos Queen Aliya.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous21 July 2016 at 15:13

    Dear Aliya, it is said that Greats come once every 100 years. I think hundred years being turned today! All the best.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous21 July 2016 at 15:42

    Photos from today's press Day at Round Lake here http://www.tassphoto.com/ru/feature/196302/---------/page/1/SN/NW_SPORTS P.S. seeing Mustafina working together with Ganina on some of it , this give me life!http://tassphoto.com/zooms_web/00000007829/16644198.bro Btw Aliya face in some pictures tells it all without words tbh! http://tassphoto.com/zooms_web/00000007829/16643761.bro

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous21 July 2016 at 17:50

    I don't think that IOC or Bach would really ban the whole Russia gymnastic team. Because if that really happens, gymnastic would be really boring!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous21 July 2016 at 18:44

    Another big photo gallery from today media day at Round Lake http://visualrian.ru/ru/site/feature/527759/ http://visualrian.ru/ru/site/search/?q=%D0%92%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%20%D0%90%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BF%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87&field=author

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous21 July 2016 at 19:33

    Was Nikolai Kuksenkov really born in Russia? I assumed he was born in Ukraine of Russian ethnicity. Well, since he says so, it must be so.

    If Russia is completely banned, it would be a huge blow to the gymnasts. It appears they will refuse to compete under a neutral flag. That means there will be no Russian gymnasts in Rio. It would be a shame (to put it mildly).

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous21 July 2016 at 19:35

    Todays big and cool interview with Aliya Mustafina from Elena Vaytsekhovskaya.About Rio, life after gymnastics, pain and many other things, Aliya is fantastic in it! http://www.sport-express.ru/olympics/rio2016/artistic-gymnastics/reviews/aliya-mustafina-ushi-dlya-gimnasta-eto-menshee-zlo-1024089/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous21 July 2016 at 21:32

    Photoset from today trainings at Round Lake on RGF official page http://sportgymrus.ru/photos/press-tur-v-trenirovochny-j-tsentr-sborny-h-komand-rossii-ozero-krugloe-21-07-2016-foto-e-mihajlovoj/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous22 July 2016 at 11:49

    Another interview with wisdom words from Aliya Mustafina about all these shithsow which happens now in IOC, where not clean sport , but politics play the main role and about lost generation in Russian gymnastics if IOC will ban whole Russian team in all sports...http://rsport.ru/rio2016_analytics/20160722/994326394.html

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ā€˜My daughter likes gymnastics. For us, this is the big successā€™. Aliya Mustafina talks to Match TV

By
Via VK.com.  Google translate A big interview with Aliya Mustafina was published on MATCH!. We provide a small excerpt below, and the full version is available on the website at the link below  ā“ Aliya, you are now the head coach of the junior artistic gymnastics team. What does your typical day look like? šŸ’œ My current life is similar to what it was when I was competing. In the morning, I have breakfast and go to work by 9:00, we train for four hours, have lunch, rest and train for another three hours. During the training camp, the athletes live at the base. They live and train on the same territory. ā“ Do you manage the gymnasts' personal trainers or do you evenly distribute the responsibilities? šŸ’œ We work in contact with the personal trainers, I listen to their opinions. For example, if the trainer believes that their athlete needs to be given a little rest or do fewer repetitions of a particular exercise, we do so. ā“ Describe the current generation of children. Do they nee...
Post a Comment
Read more

Svetlana Boginskaya: I was always a bitch* in gymnastics

By
Svetlana Boginskaya, 15 years old, with her medals from the Seoul Olympics Nico translates the latest interview with gymnastics legend Svetlana Boginskaya, during a recent visit to her home country of Belarus. Svetlana Boginskaya: I was always a bitch* in gymnastics, so now I ask for forgiveness from everyone who came in contact with me. The National Olympic Committee of Belarus held a press conference with three-time Olympic Champion in artistic gymnastics, Svetlana Boginskaya. The meeting was devoted to the 25th anniversary of the Olympic Games in Seoul. In South Korea the Belarussian won two gold medals in the team competition and vault. As a gift to the Olympic Hall of fame, the famous gymnast, now living in the United States, donated one of her trophies that she won at the 1990 European Championships and a pennant for Best Female Athlete of the USSR in 1989. How happy we were when we could share with such stars as Boginskaya, Scherbo, and Ivankov,...
14 comments
Read more

The tragic end for Russian gymnastics

By
  Russian gymnasticsā€™ recent decision to withdraw its neutral athletes from international competition, as a protest over some offence or other, is highly uncharacteristic.   Only a few weeks ago, Russia was welcoming FIG President Watanabe into its gymnastics homes, with smiles and hugs exchanged at the highest level.   The gymnasts, including especially Angelina Melnikova, have been training assiduously for a return to the international arena.   There have been excited announcements of the names of those returning to our world of gymnastics.   Russian gymnastics has always been friendly, international and diplomatic.   Good sportsmanship is required of athletes and is generally shown, with a few notable exceptions.   During the depths of the Cold War, Russiaā€™s teams toured the world, staging friendship displays and offering workshops and training.   Russian officials have been at the heart of the sportā€™s governance since the early 1990s and e...
1 comment
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more