Two-time Olympic champion Svetlana Ishmuratova has sharply criticized Russian athletes who agreed to compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris under a neutral flag. The former biathlete opposed this decision, calling it a betrayal.

Ishmuratova said this in a commentary to the TASS propaganda news agency. The winner of the 2006 Turin Olympics boasted of having ties wth the Russian army and being a member of CSKA. She also demanded that Russian athletes not sign the anti-war declaration in any case.

"We all took an oath, having both the anthem and the flag, so we can't just push these state attributes aside. I understand that we can't forbid the guys to perform, but we can't agree to the terms of the proposed bondage, this includes signing declarations and abandoning the country. Abandoning your country is the last thing to do. All soldiers took an oath. You can't break it as you swear to protect your homeland and your people. And if they take part in such competitions, it is a betrayal then, I'm sorry," Ishmuratova said.

Earlier, two-time Olympic biathlon champion Olga Zaitseva complained that "everyone in the world has turned their backs" on Russia.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) President Stanislav Pozdnyakov accused Ukraine of setting conditions for the admission of Russian athletes to international competitions and the 2024 Games in Paris.

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