Speaking about the situation in Russia, the Russian world champion said that he was "kicked out of the national team for his opinion"
Anton Babikov, the 2017 world biathlon champion, explained the silence of Russian athletes about politics and the war in Ukraine by the fear of being expelled from the national team. In the athlete's opinion, this is why the national teams of the aggressor country are very different from the Western ones, where athletes can freely talk about anything.
Babikov said this in an interview with Sports.ru. He added that he personally does not feel afraid of possible sanctions, and also strongly opposed various restrictions and bans on athletes expressing their personal opinions on the situation in the world and the country.
Anton Babikov
Source: Russian Biathlon Federation
Russian athletes support Putin's policies.
Source: "Kommersant"
"I am ready to talk about this one-on-one with anyone. And I am sure I will convey my position. But when such statements appear in the media, people perceive it as excessive talkativeness. They probably don't get kicked out of the national team for having an opinion, but we do. Although I can't say I'm scared. What is there to be afraid of now? I believe that all people should talk about anything if they have an opinion on it and can argue it. I am against bans and restrictions," Babikov said.
Russian biathlete Anton Shipulin is a member of the United Russia party.
Source: Anton Shipulin's Instagram
Russian biathlete Eduard Latypov with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Source: ROC
Earlier, the Russian biathlete clearly demonstrated to his compatriots how low their living standards are compared to Europe.
As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, the legendary French biathlete Martin Fourcade opposed the suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions.
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