"Putin's huge efforts": world sports legend criticizes IOC for allowing Russians to participate in the 2024 Olympics

Legendary hockey goaltender Dominik Hašek has criticized the International Olympic Committee for allowing Russian athletes to participate in the 2024 Games. The two-time Stanley Cup winner emphasized that this decision was the worst possible and plays into the hands of Kremlin propaganda.

Hašek said this in an interview with the Suspilne Kultura TV channel. The Nagano 98 Olympic champion noted that even the performance of athletes from the aggressor country in Paris in a neutral status is a success for the Vladimir Putin regime, comparable to military support for Russia.

"This is the worst decision that could have been made. It's a huge effort by the Russian government, Putin and everyone else, to bring back Russians. You have no idea how much it is if you convert it into money. Tens, maybe hundreds of billions of dollars. It's just an incredible boost to their propaganda. Allowing Russian athletes to compete at the Olympics is like sending them a thousand airplanes, tanks or even more," Hašek said.

Earlier, Hašek was demanded to return to Russia the money he received during his visits to Russia by Vyacheslav Fetisov, an associate of Vladimir Putin's dictatorial regime.

It is worth noting that the Czech ex-goalkeeper has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine. After a trip to Kyiv and Kharkiv last summer, he recorded a video message to Ukrainians, wishing them to "drive the Russian sh*t away."

In addition, Dominik said that Russians have no right to compete in international tournaments "until they leave Ukraine and put Putin on trial." He also demanded that Russia pay reparations to our country.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Dominik Hašek said that he did not care about criticism from Russians and would continue to support Ukraine.

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