"Time for midgets looking for revenge": Russian Olympic champion lashes out at international federation over Isinbayeva

Olympic champion Mikhail Mamiashvili was outraged that not a single Russian woman was included in the list of the 40 most influential athletes in the world, compiled by the international federation World Athletics. The President of the Russian Wrestling Federation called it a "thirst for revenge" against representatives of the aggressor country.

Mamiashvili said this in a commentary to the R-Sport propaganda news agency. The winner of the Seoul 1988 Games noted that, in particular, legendary pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva was not among the top athletes in the world, allegedly because of the situation in the world.

"It would be strange if Olena was included in this list in this situation. Today, the so-called trends are being imposed one way or another by people who have never been involved in sports. By doing so, perhaps deliberately, they are simply destroying the great event called sport and the Olympic movement. It is very difficult to find any meaning in such decisions. This is the time of midgets who are eager to achieve some kind of revenge by any means - by slander, libel, anything. Unfortunately, this is unfortunate," Mamiashvili said.

It should be noted that earlier Isinbayeva disowned the Russian army and fled to Spain. A photo of the Russian woman against the backdrop of the Ukrainian flag was published online. Russia demanded that the former athlete return all the money she was paid as an officer of the Russian army.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, world champion hurdler Sergey Shubenkov once again spoke unpleasantly about Ukrainians, accusing them of "spoiling the holiday atmosphere" by refusing to welcome Russians to international tournaments.

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