"We don't feel the war": world sports legend made cynical remarks about Ukraine and condemned suspension of Russia
The legendary Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, who lives in Minsk with Daria Domrachova, says he does not feel the war. The multiple Olympic champion also condemned the suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international tournaments.
Bjoerndalen said this in an interview with VG.no. The 20-time world champion repeated the traditional narratives of Kremlin propaganda about the impossibility of politicizing sports and added that he feels great in Belarus, which provided its territory to the Russian occupiers for missile attacks on Ukraine.
Ole Einar Bjoerndalen
Russian troops hit civilian objects
Source: Vaneltyn Reznichenko Telegram
"We do not feel or notice anything about the war in Belarus. Otherwise, we would not be there. People in Belarus care about war no less than anywhere else. Of course, they want everything to be calm. It is absolutely naive to think that excluding Belarusians and Russians from international competitions will help resolve the military conflict. In my opinion, such actions only serve to incite hostility among people. It is sad to hear the comments of athletes who support such actions," Bjoerndalen said.
Daria Domracheva and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen
Earlier, former biathlete Alexander Tikhonov was upset that Russia failed to create a corruption scheme to influence the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its president Thomas Bach.
Losses of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine as of 16 November 2023.
Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
In addition, the IOC made Russians hysteriac with its statement about the war in Israel. In particular, the Olympic biathlon champion Sergey Chepikov echoed Kremlin propaganda narratives about the fight against the "Anglo-Saxon world."
As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov threatened "revenge" against the IOC because of its position on the aggressor country.
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Ole Einar Bjørndalen.
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