The head of the All-Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation (ARF) said during the "Treasures of Russia" gala that the country needs an alternative to the Olympics. According to a member of the top council of Putin's United Russia party, it is necessary to arrange similar tournaments with friendly countries.

"You see that kids are doing more now than they were doing before these sanctions. We don't need any Olympics! We're going to do alternative competitions for these kids with our friendly countries," Viner said in an interview with sport24.

Tatyana Tarasova, honored figure skating coach of the USSR, noted similar rhetoric.

"If there is no admission to the Olympics, of course, I agree with Irina Viner that we should organize competitions with friendly countries," Tarasova is quoted by Match TV.

Such words of the famous coaches caused a real hysteria among Russian fans.

"For a long time I wanted to see female gymnasts from Afghanistan. It must be cool to see them in hijabs and shalvars jumping with maces," the users mocked.

Others wonder how many friends Russia has left besides Eritrea, Belarus, and North Korea.

Fans call the situation a degradation and a return to the '80s.

Recall that Viner received a two-year suspension from international tournaments. She was called guilty of ethics violations after the national team's defeat at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, finding her words offensive.

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