By Ilidar Satdinov and Pavel Levkovich for MatchTV via Google translate
A Russian athlete who agrees to compete at the Olympic Games in Paris in a neutral status will have to look for funds to prepare for the competition himself, said Vasily Titov, president of the Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on December 8 that it will allow Russian and Belarusian athletes who have successfully qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in individual neutral status. In Paris, Russian and Belarusian athletes can only compete without the flag, anthem and other national symbols. The IOC banned the participation of athletes associated with security forces or who expressed support for the CBO.
💬 I will not evaluate the IOC’s decision now. At the Olympic meeting of the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee), we agreed that the executive committee would evaluate all legal aspects of the athlete signing a declaration and a request for neutrality status. And after that, the information will be communicated to the athlete, and everyone will decide whether he participates in this capacity or not. The athletes themselves must decide.
❓At the same time, gymnast Arthur Dalaloyan said that he would not decide himself, but would give the decision to the federation.
💬 He will have to decide for himself, unfortunately.
❓ So an athlete can only go to the Olympics on an individual basis?
💬 It’s the only way, it won’t be any other way. You saw the speech of the Russian President. The athlete must decide. We can only develop recommendations, give legal assessments, say everything we think about this, but only a specific person and no one else will decide.
❓ Can the Federation help a neutral athlete find funding to prepare for the Olympics?
💬 If a person has decided to perform in this status, he needs to look for the means to prepare himself. But we are ready to help, that’s the next question. You also need to understand in what form he can receive this help. According to current IOC rules, he cannot be associated with either the National Olympic Committee, or the national federation, or the Ministry of Sports. This is a task that needs to be thought about, but it is being solved; it is a technical issue. The real question is whether I am ready to participate in such conditions or not. This must be answered by an athlete who wants to go to the Olympic Games, Match TV correspondents report Titov’s words.
❓Gymnasts don’t have many chances left to qualify for the Olympics.
💬We still have World Cup stages, we really have the opportunity to qualify. But first you need to agree to travel in a neutral status.
❓That is, gymnasts must individually decide whether they are going to the World Cup stages or not?
💬 Yes.
❓ Can you personally imagine that in the summer of 2024 some of your athletes will go to the Olympics?
💬 I'm a realist, not a dreamer. We must proceed from reality. We will eat the elephant in parts,” Match TV correspondents report Titov’s words.
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