"Certificate for a swimsuit": 6-time world champion from Russia was blown away by prize money at the Russian championship

Six-time world swimming champion Yulia Yefimova shocked the world by admitting that certificates for swimsuits are given to Russian championship winners as prize money. The 32-year-old athlete emphasized that this kills motivation, especially for young athletes.

Efimova said this in an interview with journalist Vita Kravchenko's YouTube channel. The three-time Olympic medalist added that all athletes live by the idea of performing at the highest level, but in the aggressor country, they simply follow state propaganda.

"If we continue to say that we won't leave without this, without that, without everything, then I think children will simply stop going. Why go? To win the Russian championship? At the Russian Championships, we used to get three thousand rubles for first place and two thousand for second. Now they give us a certificate to buy swimsuits. Or they give you a handbag with equipment, glasses, a backpack. That's it, here's your prize money for the Russian Championship. How do you motivate yourself? How do you motivate children?" said Yefimova.

It should be noted that on the eve of the 2024 Games, the president of the Russian Ski Federation (RLF), Elena Välbe, called Yefimova an American for wanting to compete in Paris in a neutral status.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, 14-year-old Russian figure skater Victoria Barakhtina is in the process of obtaining a Canadian passport after refusing to compete for the Russian national team.

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