Plans for the Olympics, the family cat, how Aliya managed her nerves in 2012 and much more - translation on Liubov's blog
Rodionenko with European Champion David Belyavski Courtesy RGF/Elena Mikhailova This is the interview that many people on the internet have already commented on, regarding Andrei Rodionenko's alleged racism. The original, Russian language version, appears on VTB Bank's website (VTB are sponsors of Russian gymnastics). It takes cleverer people than me to decide what is racism, what is deliberately perjorative, and what is inferred in an interviewer's question. For now, I will not comment on this, therefore, but I would ask you to read Lupita's translation carefully before you form your own opinion. I am providing some links below which might help you to decide where you stand. Definition of racism Definition of sexism BBC Sport article by Matthew Syed : Is it wrong to note that 100m winners are always black? Updated 24/10 CSKA Moscow: UEFA opens racist chants case http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24654499 Andrei
Aliya handles it graciously, but I wish Russian sport journalists would stop going on about Simone and the ADHD medication all the time. It's mean-spirited and unsportsmanlike, like when American sport journalists used to constantly prod about Chinese gymnasts possibly being underage.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the the mental state that helps Aliya compete so well comes across in interviews. She talks about gymnastics in a similar way to Kohei Uchimura, interestingly.