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:

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

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

Does Russia need Mustafina in Glasgow? Vaitsekhovskaya adds her voice

By
'Should Mustafina compete in Glasgow, considering her fragile state of health? - aren't the Olympics more important?' are the key themes of this brief news piece by Elena Vaitsekhovskaya, a top sports journalist who has interviewed Alexandrov, Arkayev, Starkin, Mustafina and Rodionenko in the last five years since Aliya won the World Championships. Elena stresses that this year nothing unusual has happened.  Aliya has worked hard with her new coach Sergei Starkin.  She did a 'great job', demonstrating her work at the European Games in Baku where she won the all around, bars and team events as well as silver in the floor exercise. But, says Vaitsekhovskaya, more important than the medals was the fact that Aliya showed a new technical level, began work on upgrades for the Rio Olympics.  Just competing in one event - the Baku games - could be enough for a veteran athlete of Mustafina's experience.  The body ages in both time - and injuries.  Athletes always respond...
26 comments
Read more

Simone Biles - 'on her way to Olympic gold' in the opinion of Russia

By
Prosport is carrying the following article about Simone Biles, who they tip as a favourite for Olympic gold.  I thought I would share it here (Google translate in italics) as it gives an interesting perspective on where the Russians feel the sport is heading.  Elena Zamolidchikova and Alexander Alexandrov are both extensively quoted. Atypical American. Simon Biles on the way to Olympic gold Simone Biles, American gymnast, turned 18 on March 14, 2015. Shortly before this, the first in US history absolute Olympic gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton called Biles perhaps the most gifted athlete in the history of the sport. In 2014, Simon became the first gymnast for 40 years to win four gold at a World Championships. But Biles is not only talent. This is the first gymnast in recent years from the United States, who is not going to earn on its potential Olympic success. Text: Alexander Vladimirov March 15, 2015 9:35 The article on Prosport/Photo: Lintao Zhang / Getty Images / Fotob...
42 comments
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more